A Reflection: Maniac Magee and My Childhood  

            This was the first piece I have written for a university course. I was and still am very shy about my writing. I question everything I write, say, or do. In this piece, I have let myself go. I wrote about dark, troubling times I faced as a child that I did not realize were troubling till I was much older. I feel like I had hit the nail with every point I wanted to make. Who was Maniac? What was his story? How did his story tie into mine? When I talked about I and Jeffery, I wanted to be delicate. If I was brash, I must have never discussed my childhood naivety. 

            I took my time with this paper because I wanted to make a good impression; I wanted my professors to like me. I wanted them to notice my skills with the pen that needed polishing. My writing was(is) crooked; I wrote off the lines, but I hoped my professors could see the potential and effort I put in to be open. 

            Another reason for taking my time was because my childhood was sweet one moment, sour the next. I wanted to respect myself when writing this paper. Writing the narrative was not hard, but It was hard to share something about myself with strangers that not even my closest friends know. But I love storytelling, it is a large part of my life. So I was happy to share. The feedback from the first draft was great.  A lot of my peers liked the paper. I am glad they did not comment on any of my vulnerable moments. I would have been embarrassed. As I reviewed my peers’ work, it felt great to know everyone’s favorite book was. I believe that someone’s favorite book can tell you a lot about them. 

 In the final draft, I added on to me and Jeffery’s story. I cleaned up what was clunky, especially the ending. I never knew what happened to Jefferey, but I wanted to remain in my nativity. Being older and still wishing that Jeffery ended up okay was me still holding on to my childhood, hoping everything will be alright, even if it won’t.