I have been working with one of my creative writing students for the past 3 hours via telephone and the Internet on her short story for the Scholastic Artists and Writers contest, the oldest and most prestigious writing contest for youth in the United States. The deadline is January 6th, Monday, and we are in the throes of last-minute revisions to get her story ready for submission.
I am so proud of my student, Cameron Victor, for her focus and fortitude on what is absolutely her best story ever. I have had Cameron as my student since she was in 4th grade (she is in 11th now) and she has been a writing demon all these years. She has placed every year at the state level with her fiction, which is no small feat when your state is California and you have lots and lots of competition. I have watched her grow and mature as a writer and it does my heart proud (good ole Texas saying) to see this girl move to this next level in writing.
This story, “Before Thornfield Mansion” chronicles beautiful Bertha Mason’s first real meeting with a very smitten Edward Rochester before the dire turn of events that creates the drama in Charlotte Bronte’s gothic masterpiece, Jane Eyre. Cameron researched the information and it is consistent with what would truly have been Bertha and Mr. Rochester’s interaction in Jamaica, where Bertha lived before that ill-fated marriage. Cameron has done a fine job of capturing the complications that would have been present even at that early date; a feat that is not so easy to achieve.
So, let me offer my congratulations to Cameron for a story well written. I am delighted to see such fine work!
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