Dear...Everyone

*This is for the GOYLBAWs contest*

Dear...

Well, I don't know anyone in specific. So I'm going to go with this...

Dear Everyone,

You know how you always dream about your future? You go through the whole "I wanna be a (fill in the blank)" stage? You think about growing up, graduating high school, going to and graduating college, getting a job, getting married, the whole enchilada.

Well, not everyone can make it that far. Sometimes, life is cut off early.

Personally, I've spent countless hours thinking about my future and planning ahead. But I never got the chance to actually do all the things I planned, and I never will. So I have something to say to Everyone...

Don't waste time planning your life years ahead. Because in reality, you don't have control over everything that happens in your life. I learned this. But it was the hard way and by the time I did, it was to late for me. But it's not to late for you. Go out there and do what it is you want to do. Ask out the person you like, do something you wouldn't do everyday, get in trouble just because.

Live every single day as if it were your last. Each day you live is precious, because you never know whether or not you'll wake up, or if you'll get into a car accident, or whatever.

The next time you want to laze around the house, or don't do something because you're afraid, remember this. You will never get those moments back. You'll never get a do-over on life. There's no restart button, you can't replay or rewind. It's the Game Over that lasts forever.

So don't waste your life. You'll never get a new one.

Yours Truly,
A Girl Who Just Made You Realize Something

Hi fictionfanatic! Reading this I get the feeling that you have some pretty strong feelings twisted deep inside. This little letter briefly exposes them...but we don't get to learn much about how you feel! I think you could take the ideas from this work and make it the theme of a great short story or poem. What do you think? I can't say much more about content and mechanics because it is really just a journal entry-type piece of work--it scratches the surface of a world waiting to be explored through writing.

I'd love to hear what else you have to say on the subject! I have often struggled with this angsty debate myself--to care or not to care? What is the future to us who live now? Here you say it is important to live in the moment. I agree. Don't always look to the destination; enjoy the journey. However, I also value planning ahead. The future isn't something we should leave to chance. I recently learned that in order to get something you want you need to visualize it. You need to know what you want in order to transform your present into your future. Not that wishing hopefully for something will make it come true, but never underestimate the power of thinking about your future. This is a subject I plan to write more about in the future.

Do you homework and all that jazz.

Hey Rachel! So I know it's too late to edit for the contest, but I'll still give a review of it.

I really like the idea of this letter, to not waste your life, to live in the moment. A 14 year old who can think like that, and realize the importance of life is awesome.

What I wasn't crazy about was the execution of your concept. It almost seems like a sermon, just flat out telling people "Don't do this!" I feel like you could add a lot more emotional to this if you would show a little bit. the concept of death is such an emotional one, it's not hard to make it really powerful. So instead of just writing in this dry, informative style, put some more emotion into it. Describe their last day on Earth, what they miss, what they want. Really think what you would do if you died. Also, if you haven't already, read the play "Our Town". Act 3 in particular does an amazing job of describing the sorrows of a life wasted.

Hope this helps, and PM me if you have any question.