Written in the Stereotypes

            People these days say that teens watch too much TV. That they spend more time on a video game than a book. But is it really true? Do all teenagers act like mindless addicts? Here’s the real truth.

            Though some teens will choose to play video games, the rest shouldn’t be branded just because. I like the occasional video game and TV show for entertainment, so that certainly makes me an addict...

            Don’t even get me started on the ‘PlayStation Nation.’ I didn’t even know what that was before reading about it a few days ago. How am I out of the loop? Simple. I don’t spend my time with a PlayStation.

            My name is Amelia Neo and I am a twelve year old author. No, I don’t use spelling mistakes or ‘text talk’ in my stories. I have a vocabulary that gets me picked on, but you know what? I am a real author who cares so deeply about her work it hurts. Knowing that is enough to make me feel smart and special. I remember why I speak with bigger words. It’s so I can separate myself and use all the knowledge given to me by all the books that I read.

And there's only one thing that hurts even more that that, dear readers, being called a mindless addict. I may potentially be an addict, but if I was mindless, I wouldn't be able to write this.

           It’s just that feeling I know teenagers have when they’re being accused of going on too many social networks. Yes, I have Twitter. Yes, I have Facebook. Yes, I have an iPod. But I don't think the things I have should impact my love for reading. I am just a regular teenager after all. I play sports and hang out with friends just like any other teen.

           And yes, other teens read too. I’ve never seen anyone who was afraid of reading because they were ‘too cool for school.’ The stereotypes today make no sense! And they're always directed to us teens. Like OMG, It's 'soo' annoying! Is that the way society decides I speak?

           How are there so many fandoms for books if no one reads them? What about all the other amazing authors? How can they be famous for writing teen fiction if there are no teens to read the books?

           This just proves we actually do read. It’s so strange how older people don’t get picked on for not reading. None of my aunts and uncles read, same with my parents. They don’t have time which is completely understandable.

           We deserve to have a voice.

           We deserve to not be judged, or to be judged fairly.

           And most importantly, we deserve to be known as smart, literate while enjoying a nice video game once in a while.

           I, like many authors on writing websites, would like to get readers. I am not majorly popular, but I don’t care. If people are surfing through writing websites, they’ll eventually find my stories. I am very passionate about writing.

           Creativity is another topic which comes to mind. While teenagers are in school, they use their creativity for different subjects. Art, dance, drama, music are just examples. It's amazing how much creativity teens posess, but where does it come from?

           Sure some of it is from watching TV but if you read, you’ll be a better writer. How do I know that? Easy, it’s how I got into the writing biz. I’ve written an original story called Shattered. Each chapter is fourteen to twenty pages long and I write it in two weeks. I want it to be published when I’m finished but for now, I just write.

           Five hours.

           That’s usually how long I spend writing. Five hours on average for two days. I happen to have the time and dedication for writing as most authors do. Some of us are so talented... We just need our voices to be heard. All we need is a chance to prove to the disbelievers that we are amazing talents and intelligent minds.

           Are you willing to give us that chance?

Amelia Neo: 12