I'm on a trivia/quiz bowl team :)
_____________________________________
"Why do you do trivia?" my peers ask me snidely.
I do not blame them for associating trivia with nerdiness, or it's adjectival form: trivial.
But before addressing the importance of being on the trivia team, why does trivia even matter, if there's nothing serious about trivial things?
It's certainly not practical or usable knowledge. I'll probably never use a fact about the fastest bird (an ostrich, 70 km/h), or what the nickname of the 19th first lady was (Lemonade Lucy), except maybe to be super annoying at parties. But yet I love them. Why? They embody how truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction.
And in a life that can seem so insulated and fall into routine, a cool fact is like a flash of ball lightning (which is said to have rotational motion, by the way). It's hardly a divine sent miracle-but surely, each fact is a little reminder that the universe is bigger than going to school, then clubs, doing homework, sleeping, repeat.
This is why I can't wait to dash out of 7th period on Wednesday afternoons-it's a highlight in the middle of a humdrum week. Because even the goofiest or seemingly most "worthless" fact can bring me joy. Because to me, trivia is not trivial.
... or what the nickname of the 19th first lady was (Lemonade Lucy), except maybe to be super annoying at parties.---This is great writing!
But yet I love them.
AndIn a life that can seem so insulated and fall into routine, a cool fact is like a flash of ball lightning (which is said to have rotational motion, by the way).---Ha ha, so true!
It's hardly a divine sent miracle-but surely, each fact is a little reminder that the universe is bigger than going to school, than clubs, doing homework, sleeping, repeat .---(?)
This is why I can't wait to dash out of 7th period on Wednesday afternoons-it's a highlight in the middle of a humdrum week, because even the goofiest or seemingly most "worthless" fact can bring me joy.
I like your essay!! Have fun in school and good luck! And who knows, you might end up on Jeopardy!
:)
than going to school, than clubs, doing homework, sleeping, repeat.---(?)
____
that was supposed to be a description/list of a routine that life can easily fall into. Just thought I could make what I said before more concrete!
Thank you for your input!
First off, High-five to a fellow Quiz Bowler!
Now, onto criticizing
Oops, premature post.
So, I would probably do some trimming down on some of the unnecessary phrases. The hardest part about the short answer is that it has to be excruciatingly concise:
"Why do you do trivia?" my peers ask me snidely.
I do not blame them for associating trivia with nerdiness, or it's adjectival form: trivial.
But before addressing the importance of being on the trivia team,W hy does trivia even matter, if there's nothing serious about trivial things?
It's certainly not practical or usable knowledge. I'll probably never use a fact about the fastest bird (an ostrich, 70 km/h), or what the nickname of the 19th first lady was (Lemonade Lucy), except maybe to be super annoying at parties. And yet, I love them. Why? They embody how truth can sometimes be stranger than fiction.
AndI n a life that can seem so insulated (odd word choice, maybe replace with dull?) and fall into routine, a cool fact is like a flash of ball lightning (which is said to have rotational motion, by the way). It's hardly a divine sent miracle-but surely,E ach fact is a little reminder that the universe is bigger and more interesting than our daily routinesgoing to school, then clubs, doing homework, sleeping, repeat .
This is why I can't wait to dash out of 7th period on Wednesday afternoons-it's a highlight in the middle of a humdrum week. Because even the goofiest or seemingly most "worthless" fact can bring me joy. Because to me, trivia is not trivial.
Don't feel obligated to pay attention to my liberal use of the cross-out button, but I hope my trimming may help. It should leave you some room to throw some more fun quips in there. Maybe bring some resolution to the scene with your friends that you set up in the first sentence. Also your sentence about the ostrich (while awesome) is a bit weird grammatically. It's not wrong, but you are implying a change in subject when you switch to the part about the first lady. It sounds odd so you may want to check that out. Other than that, it's looking great. The point you are making is solid, and the essay is fun to read.
I hope this helped. :)
Your writing itself is quite good, but I feel you should focus more on the actual activity, rather than it's percieved nerdiness, etc. The prompt says to elaborate on an activity, not justify it.
Thank you so much for your input everyone!! Here is a revision... it was 1000 characters with (not without) spaces so I had to cut out a lot.
letmego, yes, I was wrestling with whether that was an issue but talking about why its important to me is elaborating on the activity right? I just did not want to fill this precious space with imagery of what I do at the club and blahblah the life lessons I've learned from trivia (cause honestly I havent learned any of those lol its just fun)
______________________________
"Why do you do trivia?" my peers ask me snidely.
I don't blame them for associating trivia with nerdiness, or it's adjectival form, trivial.
But before I address the importance of being on trivia team, why does trivia matter, if there's nothing serious about trivial things?
It's certainly not practical knowledge. I'll probably never use a fact like what the nickname of the 19th first lady was (Lemonade Lucy), except maybe to be super annoying at parties. But yet, I love it. Why?
In a life that becomes insulated by routine, a cool fact is like a flash of ball lightning (which is said to have rotational motion). It's hardly a divine sent miracle--but surely, each fact is a little reminder that the universe is big.
This is why I can't wait to dash out of 7th period on Wednesday afternoons-the adrenaline rush from hitting my buzzer is a highlight in the middle of a humdrum week, because knowing even the goofiest, most "worthless" fact can bring me joy. Because to me, trivia is not trivial.
