Whiz Kid: Jake Welde Shares the 'Key' to Great Writing

It all started with an assignment in Mrs. Duffy's eighth grade English class: write an original mystery story. Jake Welde, an avid reader himself, did his best Sir Arthur Conan Doyle impression and penned a Sherlock Holmes tale all his own. We're assuming he got an A on his assignment, because the story eventually won an award in a national writing competition. That's why he's this week's Three Village Patch Whiz Kid.

• Age: 14
• Hometown: Stony Brook
• School:
• Favorite subject: Jake admits he can't decide between history, English, math, art and band.
• Hobbies & interests: Playing the piano and trumpet, singing, musical theater, Science Bowl, reading, basketball, and computer programming.
• Accomplishment: Jake's short story, "Sherlock Holmes and the Adventure of the Golden Idol," earned him a regional Gold Key award from The Scholastic Writing Awards of 2011, a competition sponsored by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers which received more than 185,000 submissions. It's even got Jake thinking about a possible career in writing, among the many future paths he is considering.
• Jake's Key to Awesomeness: If you can find a project that excites you, then motivating yourself to finish it should come naturally. Jake's short story is a perfect example. "While I was writing my short story, I was motivated by my excitement about my idea," he told Patch in an email. "I can be slow to start a project, but once I get hold of an idea that I really like, it's hard to stop! I really liked the idea I had come up with, and so I ran with it, not stopping until I was done! Whenever I make a plan that I'm passionate about, I do everything to make it realized."

Editor's Note: You can catch Jake in the role of Coach Dunbar in Murphy's school musical, Footloose, which runs March 29 through April 2.