Young Writers discussion

Before anything else, I'm literally so not active on this group and I suck but I've been away for two and a half weeks (two of those weeks were spent at writing camp wooohoo) and school was hell on Earth this year. Eek.

Trigger warning: this novel that I am posting a link to here has a lot to do with sexual assault. I wouldn't say there's anything too explicit. However it is a large part of the plot and is discussed so if you're not cool with reading about that, don't read this. Also there's a lot of swearing.

Okay.

So I finally got around to posting my current novel, Maps To Nowhere, on here! It took a while because in the spring I found out that it won a national medal from Scholastic (I was one of four being considered for publication and lol it wasn't me but aight I'm still very very thankful). I wasn't sure what their rules are with posting online, but I just got an email two weeks ago saying I can post it as long as I say that they technically hold the rights to publish it and exhbit it (which they did) so yeah! Thanks! But they have it copyrighted! But I'm sure it's okay that it's posted on here because I have the right to do with it as long as they said it was okay and they said it was okay :)

That was too long

But anyway, the novel takes three and a half years to explain, so I'll say this. Alice Robinson is seventeen and just finished her junior year of high school, in which her mother left the family, in the spirit of the teenagers who typically run away from her rural town in upstate New York. Alice is also trying to cope with a night in the spring in which she went to a party, and while she was heavily intoxicated, a boy she was fairly friendly with raped her. He started to spread rumors around the school, leaving her virtually friendless.

So her childhood friend Max decides to get their old gang back together for one summer of fun road-trip scavenger hunt style.

There's a lot more but I'll be here all night.

Sorry it's kind of sad. Actually it's really sad. But also my sister has laughed reading it and my friend said she laughed out loud so hopefully you won't be too upset? Or maybe you'll just read it and say "This actually sucks what the hell was Scholastic thinking" (because sometimes I do that, not gonna lie)

But yeah! Here's the link. Feel free to hate it. Or like it. Or not read it. I just thought I'd throw it into the world. It's not all posted right now (it's not even finished now...) so more will come, I suppose.

so a bunch of things.

one, that is so freaking cool. so congrats, that is such an amazing, amazing accomplishment. haha yeah i'm just that's great and i should shut up now. (;

two, this sounds really cool. i love books that are kinda controversial topic-wise, so.

there was a third thing but yeah i forgot it so i'll just start reading already hahaa.

Thanks, Sam!

Oh and I also forgot to say that this book has a lot to do with the effects of victim-blaming on victims of sexual assault (which is something that needs to stop and i have written a lot of essays on and shiz), so some of Alice's thoughts are not anything that I condone if that makes any sense. Like the place she is in at the beginning and middle of the novel is obviously not a good one. Sometimes i feel the need to explain myself idk.

I will definitely be reading this. Starting (hopefully) tomorrow. It sounds really good!

GUYS I JUST READ ALL OF THE CHAPTERS SHE'S POSTED ON HERE WITHOUT STOPPING AND IT'S ADDICTIVE AND I'M OBSESSED AND EJ TEACH ME YOUR SKILLS PLEASE

YOU ARE SO KIND I CANNOT HANDLE IT THANK YOU SO SO MUCH <3

I'm going to post more soon! I have the first ten chapters written (they're loooong chapters though) and I'm hoping to finish before October hopefully (so I can start planning the next NaNo, but lol college apps hahahaha).

Aaaah I've gotta read it, it sounds so great! And congratulations on your medal, omg! I am actually terrible at reading things on my GR stories to-read list but I am adding this to mine and after my vacation I'm going to make a point to actually read the things on my list, I promise.

Whoa congrats on the award, that's absolutely amazing! :D And I hope to get around to reading this soon because it sounds fantastic.

Thanks so much, everybody! :D

I just uploaded up to chapter ten (which is all I really have written, but the chapters are really long for some reason). I am now realizing how full of angst this novel is. The chapter I'm currently writing is lighter lol I hope. I haven't written it in so long since I was at camp.

Definitely adding to my read list! :D Congratulations, though! I'm super excited to read.

OMG DON'T TELL ME IT'S THE ARTS & WRITING AWARDS. Is it?! If it is then wow that's huge O.O

Dana ~the difference between them and me is that i will not fall~ wrote: "OMG DON'T TELL ME IT'S THE ARTS & WRITING AWARDS. Is it?! If it is then wow that's huge O.O"

Yup, it was the Art & Writing awards! Although I think the novel portion is judged by an imprint of Scholastic called PUSH but it's still technically the A&W awards (I went to the ceremony and all that.) And apparently David Levithan is the head editor of PUSH? I literally know nothing about anything.

I just read them all and I am really loving it so far! I look forward to reading the rest of the story.

OMG I am literally in awe. Like I can't even- Okay. I'll try my best to find time to read this because omg

Thank you to everybody who is reading or at least wants to read it! That honestly means so much to me. And Dana, haha thank you! I was really really shocked that it won anything, although I'm super glad that it did.

Chapter Eleven: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

My god, I've become completely hooked on this. :O

Roxanne wrote: "My god, I've become completely hooked on this. :O"

Thank you so much for reading! :D Your comment on the first chapter was so nice, it made my day!

You're very welcome. :)

i'm craving more right now. i don't care what you do, i just want a new chapter now!(;

I'm almost done with the new chapter! :) I've been really busy with summer assignments but I might find time to finish it tomorrow! Hoooooray!

Yay! :D

New chapter will be coming tomorrow (or later today, rather)! It's actually the longest chapter in the history of ever so it took forever to write (plus I'm reading Jane Eyre for school and I'm moving a little slowly).

Chapter 12 because I hate homework: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

It's really long, I am now realizing. Might break it up later. Also, I don't know what I'm doing. It's getting to that weird late middle section that I haven't fully fleshed out in my plot outline.

Ooh, yay! Can't wait to read it! :)

Why write a 10 page science paper when you can write a new chapter: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

i don't know what i'm doing but also maybe i do

Woo-hoo! >w<

IT'S BEEN LIKE TWO MONTHS WTF

I had a huge writing assignment due tonight so haha! I did this instead!

https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

uh side note this chapter was supposed to happen way later in the book but then i realized that i was actually farther along than i thought i was so i was all "screw it" and here it is but um it's subject to change in a very very major way

basically just cried when i saw this was updated holy crap time to read this loveliness

I HAVE TO FINISH READING THIS UGGGH I GOT SO FAR AND THEN HOMEWORK HAPPENED

YOU ALL ARE TOO NICE TO ME

THIS ONLY TOOK LIKE THREE YEARS ALSO IT'S SHORTER THAN USUAL I HATE COLLEGE APPS

Chapter Fifteen: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

YEASSS

Will I ever stop writing excruciatingly long chapters? Will I ever take less than a month to write one? Will this book ever be done?

Chapter Sixteen: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

The chapters will get shorter after this, I swear.

Chapter Seventeen: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

This entire chapter takes place on a couch and i hate myself for doing that. this is gonna be rewritten at some point because tbh i have everything after this planned out and this chapter was just such a hurdle. like what am i even doing.

Chapter Eighteen: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

Lol well it's been like two months. But I picked a college and I'm graduating soon so I have time to write!! This chapter is weird as hell and long but uhh kinda important ig

Chapter Nineteen: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

*punches myself in the face for not catching up*

It's almost summer, at least. I WILL catch up then.

Only two more chapters left after this (unless i throw my plot outline out the window again)

Chapter Twenty: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

!!!!!!

Oh my goodness.

Sweet!

*rubs hands together* Today I will start my attempts to catch up

well june killed me, but here i am finally makin progress again

Chapter Twenty-One: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

still an epilogue coming but here's my sad excuse for ending a novel

Chapter Twenty-Two: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...

I can't read it I can't let this end

Okay I did it EJ HOLY OH MY GOODNESS EJ

AH THANK YOU!!!!

epilogue coming later tomorrow or tonight i'm working out the kinks and kinda just staring at my computer screen very very confused with myself lol let's hope it goes alright

Ahhh I need to read the whole thing!!

Ok so the epilogue is up and the author note says everything you need to know about it (that i regret it fully lol)

honestly like it doesn't even feel done. i know that alice and her friends will continue to stick with me and nag me and make me edit the hell out of this ending to give them some proper sort of closure, but as for now, this is it. i'm not editing until late august or even later than that because i really need to take a break from it.

BUT ANYWAY

here ya go, the epilogue: https://www.goodreads.com/story/show/...