A little more about Enchantia...and me

So it's back to Kayla, age 25, in NYC. And now for the thrilling conclusion of my last post's cliffhanger....and I need to stop being goofy because this is actually serious. To recap, the quote from my last post (taken from my 7th grade composition book) was, "I feel bad if I say something mean to someone; it really hurts. I really don't care if the person is the latest to be picked on, I won't do it." There's a reason why I said that so strongly.

Enchantia, I must stress, is fictional. It's not based on a true story. Nothing that happened in the book actually happened to me. But that said, just as I'm influenced by books I've read, I'm influenced by events in my life. I think that's true of most writers. I was in a class where teasing - or more like harrassing - was rampant, and I was sometimes a target, among several others. So in that way, I've been in Jane's shoes.

Of course, it's okay to write things that are beyond your own experience, and I do plenty of that in Enchantia too (e.g., although I had an imagination, mine was not nearly as wild as Jane's or Megan's). But I think when you draw from your inner resources, if you let yourself get inspired by your life, you can go places in your writing (or any other art) you couldn't go to otherwise. It brings a certain level of genuineness, because you've been there.

Bear in mind I say all this with no authority. As of now, I'm just a wannabe novelist. But this is one of the reasons why I would love to get this book published. I think it would be awesome to be in a role-model position, to be able to tell all the girls and boys out there who are struggling in similar situations, that yeah, I've been there just like my main character, and school can suck, kids can be mean, but you can still emerge from it all and be strong.

Kayla, age 12

Howdy from Ohio - and happy Passover! Okay, so people don't really say howdy here (Ohio isn't exactly the Wild West), but that's where I am now, spending the holiday and a good part of this month back with my family.

As for the title- Enchantia is all about a 12 year-old, so I thought why not share a little of myself as a 12 year-old? Being that my book is a novel and not a memoir, I don't know if there's a direct link, but somehow it seems appropriate. I have this old composition book from seventh grade here (it only resurfaced recently, otherwise it might've been a useful reference), and I've selected my favorite quotes. Some of these I admire my 12 year-old self for being able to say, some I can't believe I said, others I just find funny. So without further ado I give you me, age 12:

It would be interesting to wonder what it would be like if people were more kind...Perhaps there might even be world peace! Too bad these are only thoughts.

The third person...would be a guy who is just right for me. He would understand me, have a great sense of humor, he would be handsome and we would have a lot in common.

Education helps you become smart and someone with a bit of sense.

As long as the discipline is not too strict, and the teacher is not too boring, and I don't wear my hands out from writing, education is great!

She simply tells them smoking isn't her and goes home. After all, she was being herself, and that's great!

Sometimes I think it would be neat if there really were mermaids, but there aren't, and you can't fight nature. So the only thing we can do now is dream, dream, dream!

Another difficult thing for me to do is be extremely talkative, outgoing and not shy at all.

The only problem about him [my dog Willy] is that he always wants to escape, and mate with a girl.

Today I'm going to try my best in school, and when I come home, I'm going to be Miss Leisure.

Today, I don't feel like getting up, and I wish I didn't have school today. Then again, that's pretty typical of me.

All I can say is that I am proud of who I am, whether or not I'm perfect.

[If I had to live alone on a desert island] I would bring clothing so I wouldn't be walking around naked all day. Also, in case I get cold, I don't want to be stuck with nothing on.

I feel bad if I say something mean to someone; it really hurts. I really don't care if the person is the latest to be picked on, I won't do it.

Yeah, hardly the child prodigy. But it's fun reading these, or at least it is for me- back in the days when I was young and innocent. I have a little more to say on the last quote, but this is already long, so I'll wait till next week (another cliffhanger...yesss!).

Yet another Enchantia post (aren't you surprised?)

I am feeling so relieved right now. I thought I'd lost almost 50 pages of revisions yesterday due to a computer glitch, but thank G-d it's recovered. Word to the wise: back everything up! But you all know that, I'm sure.

Before reading this snippet, if you're new or just want a refresher, check out these olds posts on The Woods and Enchantia. Besides that, you just have to know that this comes right after Jane's first day with Megan in Enchantia. This is actually a pretty significant snippet. As usual, if you have a comment, a question, or are just plain confused, please make yourself heard!

Before going home I decided to take a little walk over to my favorite spot- the tree stump by a stream.
“Hi, Woods,” I muttered.
I looked around me, too antsy to sit on the stump. Everything was beautiful, of course, but I felt a change. The trees were still swaying, the wildflowers blossoming. There was life everywhere, from buzzing bumblebees to a red-tail fox. But without Megan, The Woods felt empty and strangely still. I felt no need to speak to the trees.
“I’m sorry...I--I still love you,” I murmured guiltily, and walked back home.
“No you don’t,” I heard The Woods reply as I walked. “You’re abandoning me...for a game.”
I broke into a run.
There was no going back to having The Woods simply being The Woods.