Did Stephen King Start Out This Way?

A 16-year-old boy from North Stormont, Ont., Canada, had an assignment in his favorite class, drama, to read a dramatic text aloud. “I wanted to prove to my teacher that he was wrong,” the boy said. “He said my stuff was crap, unrealistic, worthless.” So he recited a story he wrote about a student tormented by bullies who takes revenge by planting bombs at school. His grade was two out of four marks. The principal didn’t like the story either: the boy had to deny that he was the story’s lead character, and make it clear he had no plans for committing any violence. Police searched the school and his home but found no weapons or explosives. Still, the unidentified boy was permanently expelled from school and jailed for a month while his family arranged for C$10,000 bail. He still faces felony charges, and a lawyer has offered to represent him for free. “I just hope I don’t have to go through this kind of hassle every time I write a good story,” the boy said. (Ottawa Citizen) ...With that kind of attitude in the face of teachers calling his work “worthless crap,” the kid will go far.