I love how, while even writing a simple essay for a school assignment, I can still find some way to be creative with my writing. There are many tricks I can use to break up the mundane repetition of my teacher having to read another essay on the same prompt. From sentence structure, to diction. From tone, to pacing. From creative response, to subtle jokes and allusions. The various tools and devices that I have learned from reading and English class, I have applied through creative writing. This seems to be the overlooked beauty of creative writing; being able to take a seemingly boring sterilized prompt such as "how does hard work lead to success", or "how does the author use literary devices to show [character name]'s view of [insert something the character has an opinion on]", and turn these prompts into a unique and interesting essay. That fun thought experiment out of the way, let's now move onto the more well known parts of creative writing. While the aforementioned creative writing in an unexpected setting is a true test of a creative writer's skills, fictional writing is where the creative writer goes to set their imagination free, and to generally have a good time. The rules of conventional writing for official tests and the like don't apply to fiction in the same way. Creative writing of fictional stories has more room to be creative, with less concern for getting poor marks for that creativity. The writer gets to focus on the story they want to tell. Storytellers can convey life and emotions through their writings. They can bring something real from something fictitious. I love how a true master of creative literature can weave a complex tale of dynamic characters, while delivering a thought provoking narrative, and providing an all around entertaining story. I hope to one day be able to reach such a level. Currently I have published 2 short chapter books through the publishing company TouchPoint Press. Unfortunately the company has had a tough time this past year, and closed down before I could publish the rest of the series. However I plan to continue the series, since there are a few people asking about the rest of the series. Personally I don't know if the books are as good as everyone claims, but I still feel like I should finish the series. I have loads of ideas for other stories, some of which I have already started. I plan to eventually publish more books, and to continue writing throughout college. Of course balancing writing with school, and life in general is easier said than done. However by setting writing goals for myself, and setting aside some time each week to write a bit, then writing will become more manageable.

The Princess Bride is an example of a good book-to-film adaptation. The movie captures the heart of the book, that being an epic story shared between a child and his grandfather, perfectly. All the actors do a good job of capturing the characters true to the book, and bring them to life in a fun way. Of course some really interesting parts of the book were cut out or summarized, but that's always going to be the case with a film adaptation, and it's what makes it rewarding to go and read the book for yourself. The important part is that the overall feel and message stayed the same. In fact the movie does a better job of highlighting the relationship between the grandfather and the boy than the book. This is due to the book being written from the perspective of the boy grown up. Therefore the writing feels more distant from the boy's feelings at the time his grandfather was reading to him, and gives more of a feeling of nostalgia. The movie takes out the whole narration of the boy when he's older, so in the movie instead of a reflection on the past, we see the past as it was. This increases the emotional impact of the scenes between the boy and his grandfather, and the audience is better able to connect with the boy. The movie also brought the story to life in such a way that is so quotable, it has thus permeated pop culture to this day. A feat that would have been inconceivable without a well made film to bring attention to this amazing story. Plus the movie really leaned into the comedic elements from the book, while still highlighting the nostalgic reminiscing that the narrator of the book conveys. You really feel a connection to the boy, and thus the emotional impact of the "as you wish" from the grandfather hits you right in the feelings. It also helps that the actors' acting was all on point, and really good overall. The only things I wish they had included in the movie was Fezzik and Inigo's journey to the bottom level of the pit of despair, and the part where they tortured Westley before the machine was ready for testing. The former is just cool traps and trials for the two friends, while the latter highlights how much Westley truly loves Buttercup, as thinking about her allows him to not feel the pain of the torture until the machine is used. The former wouldn't have been too difficult to adapt to a movie, so it was likely removed due to time and/or budget constraints. However the latter would be more challenging to translate into a movie, even if it is a really interesting character moment. Overall The Princess Bride was masterfully adapted from the original novel, and has created an iconic movie that has influenced pop culture in inconceivable ways.