Caleb Breakey: Redefining Teens into Rockstars

Hello Everyone!

I am sure you all know by now how much we love to recognize Rebelutionary endeavors and resources. Today, we present you all one of the rare findings that actually serves as both an endeavor and a resource. Caleb Breakey operates a website (consequently titled calebbreakey.com) and devotes large amounts of his time to serving teens, more specifically, teen writers. Yet, his site and his heart holds so much more than just the dedication of his time and effort to looking over teen writers' work.

First of all, let us introduce you to the man himself. Caleb is a Rebelutionay by its very definition. Homeschooled for his youth years, his passion for writing continued on to college, where he achieved a journalism degree from Western Washington University at the age of twenty. Holding steady in the journalism career, he spent a season covering the New York Yankees, freelanced for the Seattle Times, and named a finalist for Sportswriter of the Year as a reporter for the newspaper he currently writes for, Lynden Tribune. His passion for writing does not end with journalism, however. He remains enrolled in the Christian Writers Guild's Craftsman Course, being immensely privileged with meeting and working with Jerry B. Jenkins this past summer. Sitting on his likely worn laptop (from all that writing) is two manuscripts, one a work-in-progress and the other written. Besides all of this, he continues to be a devoted follower of the Lord, an avid reader, attends several writing conferences throughout the year, and enjoys a blessed marriage of about three years to his wife, Brittney Breakey.

But, if you think this Rebelutionary is done following God's calling and his passion, you are dead wrong. Just this past summer, he felt called to start a website where he would teach others all the writing knowledge that he has obtained over the past so many years. Over at CalebBreakey.com, Caleb offers teens his time and teaching in critiquing three hundred word excerpts of a novel, essay, poem, article, short story, or whatever else it may be. After taking the time to send the submission, along with answers to a few interview questions, Caleb will critique your work though a peer editing secession (where your work is posted on the site along with the interview questions and other teens can comment on it), a Vlog (a video of his thoughts on your writing and your strengths as a writer), and finally, an audio edit (an audio of him going through your submission and suggesting corrections to your writings). Basically, this is an opportunity for you, as teens, to get another person to look at your writing and gather helpful opinions on how to enhance it at no cost to you!

Well, no cost as far as money goes, that is. Being on this site does cost you something; it costs you time, heart, and humility. Caleb strives to lead by example, first encouraging, then humbly pointing out flaws sprinkled with the excellence of your writing, and finally, exhorting your piece once again. He asks you to do the same. You will get what you put into this site; you will receive what you give at this place. The order in which he critiques your work is directly based upon how many ladder jumps you obtain; and ladder jumps can only be sought by posting full sandwich and insightful comments (comments that start with praise, lead into critique and insight, and end with praise once again). As Caleb loves to point out, it is the teens that dedicate their time and their passions to Caleb's site the make it what it is, that make-up the encouraging, grace-filled, and heart-felt community thriving on CalebBreakey.com.

We (both Mark and I) highly encourage that you visit Caleb's website, leave a comment for him and the other writers, send in a submission, and/or join the forums. Caleb Breakey is a prime example of a young man who dedicated his life and passions to the Lord, exceeded the world's expectations, and followed his dreams. We cannot wait to see where the Lord takes Caleb's site and his talent in the future.

God Bless!