List of Sites For Writing Prompts

http://www.dailywritingtips.com/writing-prompts-101/ ("What is a writing prompt?" +links to prompts)
http://thinkwritten.com/365-creative-writing-prompts/
http://www.dailyteachingtools.com/journal-writing-prompts.html (this looks a little old school, but some of the prompts are interesting)
http://creativewritingprompts.com/ (mouse over the numbers)
http://visualprompts.weebly.com/

Why I Write

I'm gonna be completely honest here.

I started writing because I was playing World of Warcraft and some people I had just met asked if I wanted to roleplay with them-- which is sort of like co-writing a constant, on-going story until your character is dead. I found it intriguing and I was awful at first; I was just 11. I had no idea how it worked. But I roleplayed on and off until very recently-- until November of 2015. I'd been roleplaying for about six years, though closer to five if you take out the breaks from roleplaying that I took.

Now, I write simply because I enjoy it. It helps me understand myself, It helps me vent. It helps me sort out my feelings before I talk about them with other people. It's a creative outlet that I need, like painting or drawing, but writing is more from the heart than visual art, for me.

I write to show love. I'm a very physical person, meaning I show love through affection, and I don't like to touch or be touched unless I am comfortable with the person. I am also very verbal; I like to tell people they're appreciated. While I think you should show your love, you should also say it. It's nice to get that verbal confirmation that you matter. That you're cared for. That you're missed. For me, simply being shown isn't enough. I need to be told.

I write because there are some thoughts I can't share with others. Like mean thoughts. Thoughts that I KNOW are irrational. Thoughts that I don't want to be real, so I don't say it to someone. Thoughts that can't be heard by others, because my notebook won't tell my secrets.

I write to understand. I write to be understood. I write to love. I write to be loved. I write to express. I write to tell secrets. I write so that others can read my work and think, "She wrote what I was thinking."
I write because it is art.

Final E-mail

Dear Reader,

I apologize for the generic e-mail. Next Thursday, May the 4th, I graduate from high school. After that, I will be working a majority of the time, visiting France in June, and then moving out of my parents' home in the late summer. I will be fairly busy so I don't want to get your hopes up. I'm not sure how often I'll be able to e-mail, if at all. You can e-mail me regardless, and I will respond whenever possible. But don't expect a response super soon.

Your friend, Caitlyn Kittrell

Scavenger Hunt

The top left picture is a picture of the park from a sidewalk near Parkview. I've always loved the park, and I used to visit Fassnight on the reg.
The one below it is a picture of angel rays, taken at Nathaniel Green park. ... I really love parks.
The one to the right of the angel rays is the stone stairs near Parkview and Fassnight. This is my "weird angle."
The one above it is a fountain. I just thought it was cute.
The one to the right of the fountain is a picture of myself and Zach. Zach is my best friend and has become one of the most important people in my life. I adore him and he constantly motivates to me to be a better version of myself. I've been tempted to make a blog post about him for a while.
The picture of the pile of rocks is my cat's grave marker. She passed away on March 31st. I like this picture because there's a heart-shaped rock on the top.
The last three pictures are just pictures that I took and enjoy looking at.

Visit From MSU Exchange Students

Liam and I were in a group with Ren and Zhenzhen (pronounced Jingjing).
I forgot how to write my adjective in pinyin, but my adjective was "stressed."
We talked about what American high school was like (the classes and how credits work) and we asked them a little bit about college. Both of us added them on WeChat!
We took them to the cafeteria, the foreign language hallway, the gymnasium, a couple of art rooms, and a couple of science rooms. They took a lot of pictures!
I felt like it was a very fun class period. It was a lot of fun to teach people about stuff that was mundane to us, because people don't really consider that things that are mundane to them are extraordinary to others. I hope it was enlightening and educational for them!

Wife Swap Response

I feel like the whole Wife Swap ordeal was more difficult for Maryanne. I would not have been able to put up with Scott disrespecting me; I could have handled Maryanne's children disrespecting me, because that behavior is more easily changed than a grown man's behavior, but I grew up in the type of household where, if the woman is a stay-at-home mother, she took care of the cooking and cleaning, and the husband works full-time and does odd jobs around the house, like fixing the plumbing or building things.

That's not how I want to live though. I want to have kids but I also want my own career. With my ideal career, I will be able to have a flexible schedule, so that I can build it around my children, but I intend on my future husband also helping around the house. That's just how I am; I'm independent but I expect help with things. It's a partnership for a reason, to me.

I was appalled that Maryanne didn't let Leo cut his hair; I plan on letting my kids have their hair the way that they want. If I don't let them do anything to physically express themselves, like dress the way they want or have their hair the way they want, then when they're older they're going to be dying to do all these crazy things to themselves. I'd rather let them do what they want with their self-expression so that they know how they like things (their hair, clothing style) by the time they're young adults.

There's a lot more I could say, but I don't want this to be an essay on gender roles.

China Email Exchange

I have two pen pals. One is Cathy and the other is Seven. Cathy is very athletic, and her significant object piece was about her cell phone. I'm not so sure if Seven sent an object piece, but he may have written about antiques and a bracelet he designed.

Both are very friendly, and I enjoy emailing them quite a lot.

That's about it.