Fiction
        I really liked the fiction writing packets, they are so motivational. I don't know about the rest of the world, but in my sphere of existence most of the kids I know want to write a book that will one day be published, I have written or started to write many stories myself. when you have a story that you working on these packets bring them to mind almost immediately, it makes you want to settle down in the cushioned corner of a warm couch with your computer or notebook and write, using all their fabulous suggestions to reach deeper and make more of a story that could have come out saying less.
       They also make me want to go back and edit the stories that I have already written. There is this one story, I wrote it when I was like 9, it was all over the place. I never noticed that it was all over the place until I started thinking back on it while reading one of the fiction packets assigned the first time. Suddenly I saw that the plot jumped all over, it was unclear why the characters where doing what they were, who the main female lead even was (due to a little editing debacle), and the villain didn't even exist until the last chapter. When I realized how horrible wrong it was I had to wonder how anyone could have let me believe it was good. although now I think about it on of my reviewers merely said she thought it would be good if I went back and edited it in a few years.
         I also read a lot of fiction in my spare time, it is a joke in my family that I'm addicted to fiction (which I know is mostly a joke but sometimes wonder if my family does). Since I do so much fiction reading I could also compare some of what the packets said to how the authors of some of my favorite books write, it is an interesting exercise to think on. one of the authors I have been reading lately makes a point of giving their co-lead a description of them before they meet then making it clear that although the description does fit it is not there is more than one why to interpret their actions or the descriptive words used in that description.