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I know I'm not the greatest writer in the world. The last sentence needs to be changed, as do countless other words and phrases. Please evaluate. Thanks. (I know its really corny and horrible. I suck at intros and conclusions.) *I omitted info about myself....

On my 7th birthday, I received a special birthday gift from my elder cousin. This present, a Calvin and Hobbes comic book, spurred on a relatively passive interest for cartooning within me. Of course I had drawn pictures for fun previously, but the drawings were more like scenes than stories. This book, though it did intrigued me with its large words and sophomoric sophistication, was special to me, because stories retained its hilarity without losing heart or sharp wit. Hearing Calvin’s call to join his world, I decided to create little cartoons of my own.
My first “big break” came in third grade, when several of my drawings and comic strips were published in the class magazine aptly named 3M Magazine. Encouraged by a friend, I had accepted the position of “major illustrator” in this project and had drawn many graphics and comic strips in preparation for the printing. It was during this time that I discovered a hidden passion for this truly enjoyable hobby. This experience really instilled confidence in me, and I soon found myself practicing this art more and more frequently. I was hooked.
During my early middle school years, I drew laughter from my friends with the delightfully absurd situations found in my detailed doodles. Satire and parody blended together perfectly, during what I call my “golden years.” Teachers became action superstars; friends became philosophers and clowns, and bullies became dastardly villains. The lunch table at lunchtime soon became a place for the exhibition of my latest endeavors. This cartoon-fantasy world that I had created kept on expanding as characters and concepts rose and fell out of the people’s interest. These comic strips allowed me to escape reality, and vacation in the realm of imagination.
In my later middle school years, my drawings were catered to a wider audience. My friends and I had made a personal website on random topics and subjects. My aspect of the site included my cartoon world and the characters within it. “(my name here)’s Cartoons”, as they were called, was a cult hit at school, and I became an overnight celebrity among my peers. New cartoons were posted on almost a weekly basis, and at its prime, my cartoon page was complete with character bios, original comic strips, and fan art. (People actually wanted to copy my characters and drawing style!) I had attempted to copy the sincere hilarity of “Calvin and Hobbes” ,and albeit mostly through crude bathroom humor, achieved favorable results. Sadly, this “golden age” died down after middle school, due to the newfound academic rigors of high school.
Nowadays, I still draw occasional sketches and storyboards in my precious spare time, but this time around, I can actually share my talents with others. Luckily for me, my interests in cartooning have taken me from moderating the (animation website here).com forums to publishing a monthly strip in the school paper. Hopefully, my talents will come in handy, as a stress reliever or in a serious project, in my future. As my good friend Calvin once said to Hobbes, “it’s a magical world...let’s go exploring.”

By Kwiktrix123 (Kwiktrix123) on Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 08:01 pm: Edit

ughh....this essay makes me cringe....

By Cuauhtli (Cuauhtli) on Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 08:07 pm: Edit

'This book, though it did intrigued me with its large words and sophomoric sophistication'

watch those tenses, come up with a better 'clinger' at your intro, and be less verbose.

By Kwiktrix123 (Kwiktrix123) on Thursday, October 16, 2003 - 08:49 pm: Edit

Thanks....I'll keep that in mind...
A question.....Is the topic kinda bland?...I mean...I haven't saved anyone's life or anything...

By Generick (Generick) on Friday, October 17, 2003 - 07:15 pm: Edit

Conclusion needs some work - emphasize its importance in your current life. The "stress-reliever" line completely degenerates what you bill as your passion. That line also lacks parallelism, as do a few others. I like the reference to "Golden Years" and some other comments like this. However, your conclusion really has to make the reader respect and admire you, and I dont think it works in that way. Maybe you can include some political cartoons in your app. Keep working, it has potential. And don't worry; I haven't saved any lives either.

By Giovanni (Giovanni) on Friday, October 17, 2003 - 07:34 pm: Edit

What's the prompt?

By Kwiktrix123 (Kwiktrix123) on Sunday, November 09, 2003 - 06:29 pm: Edit

huh?