effective pacing

Personal Narrative·Micki Mermelstein — A girl with a fear of heights jumps off a cliff at her cousins' urging, nearly drowns in panic underwater, then immediately agrees to do it again for a video.

Story·James Wilson, age 11 — Three surfers perform a silent New Year's dawn ritual at a California beach while a crowd watches, then celebration breaks out after they ride three perfect waves.

Story·Sonja Skye Wooley, age 12 — A nervous softball player battles anxiety at bat, gets walked, then hits the pitching machine and slides safely into second base.

Story·Jason Lee, age 13 — A nervous 13-year-old rappels down a 200-foot cliff, transforming from panic to exhilaration as he discovers the beauty of the panoramic view and his own courage.

Story·Leah Richmond, age 11 — A girl struggles with insomnia on a school night, trying various methods to fall asleep until the sounds of nature finally calm her racing mind.

Story·Ryan Kinnavy, age 11 — A young baseball pitcher finds a mysterious sphere that allows him to travel back in time and prevent a fatal car accident that would have killed his best friend.

Story·Reid Plumley, age 13 — A mountaineer separated from his team in a whiteout falls into a crevasse, is rescued by a yeti, and makes a harrowing solo descent to reach base camp.

Story·Brian Hoover, age 12 — A boy named Jake transforms into a werewolf under a blue moon in a clearing, surrounded by fleeing animals and supernatural lightning.

Story·Emily Saso, age 12 — A nine-year-old girl conquers her nerves at her first horse show, struggling through the canter before placing second with her horse Pacino.

Story·Brigid Cami, age 13 — A girl rushes through homework to spend thirty minutes by a lake, feeding ducks and contemplating the vast sky and her future.