Self-confidence takes beauty to new heights

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Hi, Jewel,I am almost 6 feet tall, and I'm only in grade eight.I like boys, but the ones in my class are kind of short for me. That leaves high- school boys, and my parents won't let me talk to them --- never mind have a date with one. There's a guy I like in my class, but he's 3 inches shorter than me. Will I scare him off if I make a move?-- TALL GIRLDear T.G.,The world indeed is an interesting place. All of Earth's human inhabitants come in various sizes, ages and ethnicities. Don't believe me? Just take a good look around.Let's set the record straight. Self-confidence breeds positive effects. Read: Praise your body instead of putting it down. Appreciate your health. Admire your physique in a dress. Relish the power of your lengthy legs. In time, you'll see that being a tall gal is not bad at all. Interestingly enough, fashion models of your stature are in demand on the catwalk and in glossy spreads. Without a doubt, your beauty is celebrated. As for approaching your crush, follow a game plan similar to that of anyone else. F.Y.I.: Your height shouldn't be your focus, but rather your attitude. This invisible goodie is ultimately what keeps an attraction going.You will scare him off if you come across too strong. You need to build a friendly relationship first. Smile at him during a lesson. Exchange thoughts on a subject. Ask open-ended questions. Find common ground through mutually satisfying activities. Once you're feeling positive energy, take it to the next level. Bring up the idea of going to a specific event together. Offer to meet to study for a test. If he's interested, he'll scoop up your bait. Remember, this dude is just one guy. His sole reaction doesn't represent how the entire male population regards you. More often than not, we're blind to who's admiring us from afar.-- Love, JewelHey, Dave,I'm an aspiring writer. I'm trying to get a lot of my poetry and short stories published in magazines and collections, but I can't find any promising ones to submit to and the ones I do find either ask me to review for them or never contact me. What should I do? Do you know of any hard-copy magazines that would accept some of my work? Please help!-- UNPUBLISHEDDear UNPUBLISHED,You're diving into a competitive field at a young age, so be warned that it's an uphill battle. No point in being naive and expecting magazine editors to return your emails, because they face a deluge of submissions every day. I recommend submitting your fiction and poetry to publications accepting work by teen-agers. I know of a couple worth investigating.Stone Soup targets 8- to 13-year-olds, and it accepts work from writers 13 and younger. Not sure if that fits for what you do, but check out the contributor guidelines at www.stonesoup.com.Another national mag is Teen Ink, home to writing by teen-agers. The site's About Us section says: "We offer teen-agers the opportunity to publish their creative work and opinions on the issues that affect their lives." It sounds promising and might be worth a shot. See www.teenink.com.If you think your writing is mature and professional, I'd also suggest submitting work to reputable "older" publications. At the very least, a few thoughtful editors may give you advice on how to best tailor your work to an adult audience, and those lessons could prove invaluable. Don't get discouraged by rejection letters and no-replies; the writers with the toughest skin last the longest. Keep your head up no matter what happens, and remember to write every day: Creative writing is a muscle that needs constant exercise to keep fit. Good luck!(Got a hot question for our cool columnists? E-mail Jewel or Dave at submissions(at)ypp.net or check them out at www.ypp.net.)(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)