<p>I found out today that I won 1st place local writing contest and that I get to be in the paper and on TV!!! (I can’t wait to tell my english teacher!) So my mom’s driving, and I’m in total shock, and she’s like, “what’s wrong with you, don’t you know the power that your writing holds? You just don’t listen!” After realizing that somewhere in that statement there was a compliment, I realized that I am a pretty darn good writer, that winning multiple school and local contests is no small feat, and that I want colleges to see it by the time I’m ready to apply. So my question is:</p>
<li><p>What are some national/regional creative or opinion writing contests I can enter? (please specify prestigious/hard from easy/regular, since I don’t think my writing is up to par with the best in the nation, lol.)</p></li>
<li><p>What prestigious summer programs focus on writing/humanities? (in a few summers after I’ve strengthened my talent)</p></li>
<li><p>Should I take Creative Writing instead of Drama next year? (That’s my only elective that I can change for next year. I’m a pretty good actor and I LOVE DRAMA, and it might help me get into our improv troupe, which I REALLY REALLY WANT TO JOIN but I never get into plays because my school is very large and there are MUCH better actors. Local plays are inacessible because of limited transport, so basically, Drama would never materialize into a real hobby/talent/extracurricular)</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Sorry this is SOO long (you can tell I’m a writer by the excessive length of my posts)</p>