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by Madhusree CW: Discussions of sex in books, meant for mature audiences INTRODUCTION “Everything in the world is about sex except sex. Sex is about power.” ― Oscar Wilde In today’s era, sex has been unequivocally equated to romance. Every contemporary book, every movie and every play which has witnessed popularity, has included scorching degrees of passion between the romantically linked leads. A sizable amount of books labeled under Romance are in essentiality - and in crude words - marketable erotica. The romance genre has long been associated with themes of love, passion, intimacy and sexual arousal - be it in poetry like by Sappho, or in prose like by E.M. Forster. While the former three elements are certainly important aspects of any romantic storyline, the genre has developed an overt emphasis on the latter, i.e. sexualization and physical sex. This can be both problematic and exclusionary. The emphasis on sexualization and physical sex in romance novels can lead to objectification, perpetuate harmful stereotypes, and contribute to a culture of unrealistic expectations around sex and relationships. OPERATION COMMODIFY One of the most notable issues with the emphasis on sexualization in romance novels is the objectification of characters, particularly female characters. Long legs that could go on for days, red lips set in an enticing pout, an hourglass figure with butter-smooth skin and eyes one could get lost in - all of these have become the staple for any female character. Even their personalities are designed in a way so as to serve as accessories for how hot and desirable they truly are - a prude, obedient, a virgin, “open-minded”, and/or not like the other girls - you know, the ones who only care about money and looks. Their physical attributes and sexual appeal is almost always given priority over their personalities, goals, and desires; and that too if they are fortunate enough to have one. This is not just limited to the central character, as side characters regularly get labeled as sluts, bimbos, catty, “girly” ( to this date, I can’t understand how having interests regularly attributed to women is an insult), woke - the list goes on. The lack of representation of different body types in a healthy way is decreasing day by day. Fat women are toned down to being “thick”, and skinny women are painted as “lithe”, even when the replacement words connote entirely different meanings. Authors, editors and publishers seem to live in a perpetual fear of their books not selling well if the reader’s aesthetic sensibilities are not catered to, therefore getting stuck in an endless cycle of beautifying every flaw - or doing away with flaws altogether, masquerading the characters as something they weren’t meant to be. This has led to a disconnect from reality, and now a reader can never relate to the “average looking” main character, as supermodels have become the new average. This can be particularly damaging for readers, as it reinforces harmful societal expectations around women's bodies and their worth based on their physical appearance. Women are sold an idea on how love cannot exist without mind-blowing sex, and that they have to pertain to unattainable standards of beauty to find their true love. This is not to say that such harmful expectations exclusively affect women, however unlike the gods of the literary establishment who remain predominantly male—both as writers and critics—their humble readers are overwhelmingly female. According to a 2000 survey, women outnumbered men as consumers of literature, across all genres of fiction. Yet the most objectified characters, across all genres of fiction, are still women. It does not take a stupendous amount of effort and logic to connect the dots, but it does take a stupendous amount of effort to consciously bring change to such a harmful narrative. SEX-ME-NOT The ungodly number of mentions of physical sex in the genre also furthers harmful stereotypes about gender and sexuality. For instance, it is often assumed that men are sexually aggressive and always interested in physical sex. The male romantic interests are majorly “Macho” men, taking charge of the situation and rescuing their “strong” romantic interests for the umpteenth time - almost always a female in such scenarios - from another undesirable situation (bonus points if it is due to the woman’s own doing). These men are painted as heart-broken, sex-obsessed “player” machines with the emotional intelligence of a jellyfish. God forbid if they always don’t make the first move or don’t make unnecessary sacrifices for their beloved. Books are fraught with male characters who are the “dominant” ones in bed, but this just serves to exacerbate the notion of men having to be in control, in every sphere of life. On the opposite side of the spectrum, women are expected to be passive and reserved, and submit to their man, even in bed. In such books, even the most closed off and sex-repulsed folks will change their minds after a few rounds of sex. This just insinuates that sex births love. It does not. Placing sex on a pedestal, and constantly reaffirming narrow sexual stereotypes contributes to a culture of toxic masculinity, wherein everyone is expected to feel sexual attraction, men are expected to pursue sexual encounters at all costs, and women are expected to be objects of desire without having much agency in their sexual encounters. It generalizes sexual encounters, and dissuades people of varying sexual interests from engaging in literature and their own fantasies. Men feel forced to take charge (vilifying inexperience to a major extent), females feel forced to sit back and not be proactive about their desires (slut shaming the ones who don't conform) and people feel forced to partake in sex, just because it is portrayed as the benchmark for a successful relationship. Sex is nothing but a mutual choice, and it would do well for us to remember it, and not be portraying it as anything else. GREAT EXPECTATIONS On the other side of the spectrum, putting too much emphasis on physical sex creates a culture of unrealistic expectations around sex and relationships - when was the last time when the New York Best Seller™ book’s love interests didn’t sleep with each other and reached new heights in their relationship? When were they not in perfect sync with each other from the first get-go? The depiction of sex in romance novels often presents an idealized version of intimacy, where partners effortlessly achieve sexual satisfaction and experience intense emotional connections. It leads to this misplaced notion that intercourse always has to be flawless, perfect, and effortless. Even worse, a lot of times books suggest that open communication during times of grief, discontentment or anger can be replaced by sex. While it is a good way to create and further emotional connections in certain cases, it is not the absolute alternative to communication. In fact, using sex as a coping mechanism to avoid discussion with your significant other is detrimental towards the culmination of a healthy relationship - no matter how good it is. Still, one cannot help but notice a recurring theme of how mind-blowing intercourse between every romantically-linked pair is now a staple in every book. This creates unrealistic expectations for readers, leading them to believe that sex is always necessary, easy, effortless, and emotionally fulfilling - at least if you are with your destined one, that is. CONCLUSION Overall, the overt emphasis on sexualization and physical sex in the romance genre are slowly veering towards being problematic and exclusionary, and it’s not getting better by substantial means. While the themes of love and intimacy are central to the genre, the pervasive emphasis on physical sex and objectification bolsters harmful stereotypes, contributes to unrealistic expectations, and thus, excludes readers who do not conform to these narrow ideals of romance and intimacy. Therefore, it is important for writers, and for readers to critically examine and raise their voice regarding the current approach towards sex, sexuality and sexualization in the genre, and work towards creating more inclusive, diverse, and nuanced portrayals of love and intimacy.

by Smrithi Senthilnathan We know that there are countless wonderful artists in the world and more than two hundred of them follow us on instagram, however so many of them do not submit their pieces to us. When we delved deeper into why, we found that a lot of writers do not have faith in their writing and are scared of the rejection that accompanies submitting to a literary magazine. Today’s post is about how you can develop faith in your own writing, and take pride in your work. While this post is mainly geared towards writers, it is applicable for any kind of artist - after all we all have experienced imposter syndrome at one point of our lives. So continue reading, and then after that submit your pieces to us. We can’t wait to read your wonderful works :) Why do you write? Ask yourself this question. Why do you write? Is is to tell a story? Is it because you love and enjoy it? Is it because you want to become a famous author? Whatever the reason, knowing why you write will help you tackle imposter syndrome. If you love writing, why do you care whether your writing is good or bad? The only thing that matters is that you love it. If you think you’re never going to do anything with your writing, remember that all of your favorite authors and any artist across the world has been in the same position that you are in right now. You are not alone. We will get through this together. Read your past writing Whenever I feel like my writing sucks, I go back and read old pieces. When I wrote them, I thought they were the best pieces of writing ever but reading them now, I don’t know what I even saw in them. However the fact that my old pieces suck gives me faith in my current writing. I’m able to see the improvement and progress I’ve made. I can clearly see how far I’ve come. And the fact that I’m able to identify mistakes in my old writing shows that I’ve matured in terms of writing and now know where exactly I went wrong before. Rewriting my old pieces know makes me feel happy because I can unleash my inner perfectionist, and I’m improving myself. Identify and analyze Simply saying ‘I’m a bad writer’ isn’t going to get you anywhere. You need to sit down and analyze what exactly you don’t like about your writing - is it the prose? dialogue style? characters? Find out what exactly you dislike about your currently writing, and what you would like your ideal style to be like. If you can find someone who writes in your ideal style- well and good! Ask them for advice on how they write the way they do, and try to emulate that style in your own writing. Ask yourself why you dislike your style and like another style, and then try to incorporate that into your own writing. Of course I don’t mean to plagiarize someone else’s writing but instead take inspiration from their style and try to adopt it into your own writing. Ask others for feedback Getting feedback is another great way to improve your self-confidence! Remember that writing is a very subjective craft and everybody interprets it differently. You may think it’s bad but someone else might love it. If you ask people you’re close to to review your writing, they will definitely point out all the things they love about the piece, while also offering you constructive criticism on how to improve. The more you solicit feedback from others, the more they’ll inflate your ego by telling you what they love about your piece, and the more you’ll improve because they’ll give you constructive criticism about how to improve your writing. Always remember to take people’s feedback with a grain of salt though because what appeals to one person may not appeal to others. It can be difficult to get over your fear and actually send your work to others for feedback but remember that these are your friends and they only want to help you. I would suggest initially only sending your work to your most trusted friends - those whose opinions you trust and those who genuinely want to help you. Read negative Goodreads reviews Goodreads is a wonderful place for readers to share their opinions on various books. Reading negative reviews (1 or 2 star reviews) of popular books will help you identify what readers like and don’t like to see in popular media. It will give you faith in your own writing - if so many people hate this book but it still managed to become this popular, your book also has a chance of making it big. You can also read good reviews of books in your genre on Goodreads to figure out what readers look for and expect from that particular genre to refine your writing. Remember: every book has its own audience and your book will find a place in the hearts of people across the world. If people don’t like your work, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad writer. Rather, you haven’t found the right audience for your book yet. After all there may be haters for your favorite book, and there may also be people who love a book you detested. Always keep that in mind when someone tells you they don’t like your book. Consume self-affirming media Inspirational videos, TED talks, quotes on Pinterest, and other sources of motivation are a great way to increase your self-confidence. Check out this post for a list of TED talks and podcasts that you can make use of. The NaNoWriMo website also has a massive database of pep talks from famous writers. All of these are meant to motivate you and realize your writing dreams. You can save quotes on Pinterest and print them and stick them all around your writing space. It’s been psychologically proved that you’re more productive in a space that is receptive to your needs than a bland one. So go find that motivation and remind yourself of it! Attend writing classes and sign up for courses There are a lot of free resources online if you want to learn about the craft of writing. In the same post I mentioned above, there’s a lot of podcasts that help you with writing. You can also find free courses on Coursera and edX. By watching these courses and learning from experienced writers, you not only improve your writing but also your self confidence goes up. You start to think ‘I’ve learned from [insert famous person] and I’m using their tips, there’s no way my writing can be bad now!’. It wasn’t bad before and it certainly isn’t bad now but psychologically you think it will be better after you take these courses. But you also need to remember that every author’s method is different and what worked for them might not work for you. Submit to lit mags and contests Yes I know that rejections sting but there is nothing better than the validation and serotonin hike you get when you get accepted to a literary magazine or win a contest. It may be scary to submit but trust me, you’re taking a step in the right direction. Maybe you can start by submitting to magazines dedicated to your agenda, for example our magazine Rewrite The Stars Review is dedicated to uplifting youth voices and we’re currently open for the theme ‘Kindle The Flame’! Since we’re all about uplifting young and unpublished voices, we’re more likely to publish your piece than an established magazine open to anyone from around the world. Start small, slowly build your way up, and eventually you’ll have enough confidence to try your hand at international competitions and prestigious publications. Write. Honestly at the end of the day there’s no better way to improve than to just write. Reread your favorite pieces and remember that you are a wonderful writer. Keep writing no matter what and constantly absorb information on how to improve. Read writing tips, watch videos, alter your style, and always be open to advice. That being said, don’t take criticism from someone you won’t go to for advice. Your writing is marvelous simply because it is yours: nobody can ever put these words together the way you can. So take pride in your writing and don’t let imposter syndrome put you down. Yes it may feel like it sucks but that only means there’s scope for improvement. Improve. Learn the craft of it. Better yourself. And before you know it, you’re a New York Times Bestselling Author. Go figure :) To learn more about this author, check out @theunwrittenstories101 on instagram.

by Smrithi Senthilnathan If you’ve been around the writing community for a while, you would’ve heard of people submitting their pieces to literary magazines. You probably might have seen various magazines sprouting up with a 'call for submissions'. What are these magazines? A literary magazine is exactly what the name says it is: it is a magazine specifically for artists where they usually publish stories, poems and art. They exist to showcase art that would otherwise not be able to reach an audience. If not for lit mags, there would be almost no market for short stories, poetry and personal essays. Welcome to our brand new magazine, Rewrite The Stars. You can check out our website for more details but in today’s blog post, I’ll be explaining why literary magazines are important. Literary magazines (or lit mags, as they are widely known as) are a great way to put yourself out there. As a writer we usually tend to write for ourselves, friends and family, but if you want more people to read your work, literary magazines are the perfect place for that. And if you want to publish a novel in the future, a short story is a good beginning. It is the first indicator of your writing style is accepted by editors, and readers in general. Sometimes agents may also notice your short stories, and reach out to you based on your writing style. I definitely recommend trying to get your pieces published, if your ultimate goal is to publish a book. Moreover literary magazines also stand out on your CV/resume. Literary magazines are usually quite selective and getting published in one is the mark of a flourishing writer. You get the experience of working with and learning from editors and other writers which will help you in your writing journey. If you submit your pieces and get them published, it adds to your author profile and you can gain some traction in the writing industry. It also serves as a way to publicize your work, broaden your base, and attract potential readers for when you do publish a novel in the future. With each story you publish, more people will know your name and you can establish yourself. And the most obvious reason to submit is that literary magazines boost your confidence. From personal experience I can tell you that seeing my story in print, my name in a magazine that people all around the world were reading was one of the best feelings ever. While our magazine is not print (yet), we hope to give aspiring writers and artists all around the world a similar feeling by publishing their pieces! We work very hard for each issue by polishing the graphics, curating the best designers, and making the piece as aesthetically pleasing as possible. To summarize, lit mags are a way to: Put yourself out there Get over the fear and let others read your writing Boost your resume Adds to your author profile Gain traction and boost your fanbase Increase your confidence and validate your own work At Rewrite The Stars Review, we value each and every submission we receive. We are all young writers who were once in your position, and understand the fear and hesitation that comes with submitting to a literary magazine. Thus, we will not ignore your piece or leave you hanging for days without a response. We aim to respond to all submissions within 2-4 weeks. We may choose to publish your work, or we will give you feedback on how to improve. By submitting to us, you ensure that you boost your writing journey - either by adding a publication to your profile or by receiving personalized editorial feedback that will help you improve your skills. Submit your work to us. Trust me, you will not regret it. So to wrap up this post, send us your pieces. Whether you get published or not is secondary. Just by sending your piece, you’re taking a huge step on your journey of becoming an established author. I highly encourage you to send us your pieces. We look forward to reading your beautiful words and seeing your beautiful art :) To learn more about the author, check out @theunwrittenstories101 on Instagram.

by Sunny Solaris If you’ve been in the writing community for a while, chances are you would’ve come across the name ‘Mary Sue’. If you know of her existence, you probably hate her. If you don’t know her, well you’re probably wondering who she is. Mary Sue is a female character who’s insanely overpowered and has no flaws. Mary Sue makes no mistakes and she’s perfect. It’s no wonder everyone hates her. Why do we still talk about her though, you might ask. Simple: because Mary Sue is still seen in so many books, taking over their stories and making us hate the book authors put so much effort into. Mary Sue mostly controls beginner authors, but some professional authors also succumb to her whims. If everybody detests her so much, why do authors keep making her? Mary Sue is often written to be a self-insert of the author. The authors envision themselves to be perfect, and they create a character just like them. However this character ends up being the idealised version of the author, used to fulfil the author’s wishes of being flawless and wonderful. Before we discuss how to avoid writing these characters, let’s talk about the history of Mary Sue. The term “Mary Sue” originated from a Star Trek fanfic written in 1973 and published in Menagerie, a Star Trek fanzine. Mary Sue was the main character of this story. She was the youngest Lieutenant in the fleet at the age of 15 and a half… yes they really wrote the “and a half”. Mary Sue was described to be amazing in every possible way and adept at any skills required of her. Considering how she was written to be flawless, it’s no surprise that she captured the interest of Captain Kirk, Mr Spock, and Dr McKoy. It was written that Captain Kirk confessed his love for the oh so perfect Mary Sue and she had turned him down saying she was “not that kind of girl”. After this, Mr Spock runs into her in control of the ship where he compliments her, saying she is “flawlessly logical”. During the story, Captain Kirk, Mr Spock, Dr McCoy, Mr Scott, and her all beamed down to Rigel XXXVII where they’d been attacked and thrown into prison. Once they escaped, when they got back to the Enterprise, the men who had beamed down with Mary Sue had gotten sick while she had not. As they lay in the sick bay, Mary Sue had to run the ship all on her own, awarding her three achievements. The disease the men had eventually caught up to her and in the end, Mary Sue dies and all the hearts she’s captured stand around her as she takes her last breath. At the Enterprise, her birthday was considered a national holiday to honour her. There is no one more Mary Sue-like than Mary Sue. Are you concerned about the publishers who allowed them to release that piece of fanfiction into the world? Well, I was too, until I found out that it was written to be satire and its purpose was to mock authors who wrote characters for the very same reason Mary Sue characters are still written to this day. The only difference is that now there’s a term for those characters compared to back then. Characters who fall under the trap of being like Mary Sue and are female are now referred to as Mary Sue. With male characters, they’re called Gary Stu or Marty Stu. Now, what is the problem with Mary Sue characters? Wouldn’t any author want to make their characters perfect, so that they can live vicariously through them? No, we don’t. Mary Sues have often been laughing stocks in the writing community and it’s due to the unoriginality these characters hold. Go back and think about your favourite characters. What about them endears them to you and makes you adore them? What draws you to them and makes sure they find an irreplaceable place in your heart? Readers want to meet a character who’s imperfect. A perfect character gets boring and makes the story uninteresting. A reader will drop your book then and there - or if they’re like me… they’ll begrudgingly finish the book due to not wanting to leave something labelled as DNF and just rate it badly. Everybody is imperfect and has flaws. Recognizing these flaws makes a character more realistic and thus endears them to the reader. By constantly reading about Mary Sue characters who are perfect, your readers could begin to think they are wrong for being flawed, when in reality it is something everybody has. In general, Mary Sue characters are One-Dimensional. The story revolves around them but they personally don’t impact it. They have no personality and are insanely bland. Authors can try to trick us into saying they have flaws but no. Most of the time, those so-called flaws are just quirks. Besides all those other things that can already make you hate this character, Mary Sue is obviously going to be drop dead gorgeous. She’ll instantly draw everyone’s attention and everyone immediately loves her due to her perfection. Realistic? No. Not at all. If people in real life met a Mary Sue, there’s no chance they’d immediately love her. Now, you don’t want to write a Mary Sue. How do we avoid this from happening? How do you make your characters more realistic? Let’s start off by being able to tell whether your character is a Mary Sue.Take a look at your character. Do they look like a fictional version of who you wish to be? I don't mean that you can't self-insert yourself into a character. I’ve done that exact thing before. What I mean is that, did you make the character to be you without your flaws? Just like in real life, readers — while most of them likely have no social lives (don’t try to deny it, we all are in the same boat /j) — will instantly be able to tell when something is off with your character. If they’re a Mary Sue, the readers will be able to get a vibe off them that just doesn’t suit their liking. Just like in reality, when you meet a sketchy character, your mind instantly marks them as a red flag. Don’t worry if your character actually is a Mary Sue. Every writer makes this mistake and it’s easy to fix it. If you read Wattpad fanfiction written by 12 year olds, I’m sure that you’ve noticed that the character is usually a Mary Sue. Maybe you grew up reading Harry Potter x Reader fanfiction like me, they’re usually Mary Sues as well. The fastest way to turn your Mary Sue into a character who has meaning is to give them flaws. Not quirks. Flaws. A quirk is something a person does that is unusual, while some flaws can be quirks. Quirks are not flaws. Real human flaws are what show the character’s bad side and how it conflicts with their souls. Research if you’re struggling to find flaws - there are tons of online resources with lists of flaws. You have to make your characters relatable - after all, those are the best kinds of characters. Make sure the flaw relates to the character’s personalities, and show how the flaws affect the character and those around them. Make your characters lose. Have them make mistakes. They can’t always win and they won’t always save the day. They’re meant to appeal to an audience who are humans, right? Even if they’re not human and your characters are aliens or dragons or robots, readers must be able to connect to them for the story to be interesting and likeable. Have us empathise with your characters and feel bad for them when all goes haywire. Would you pick up a book where the main character is a Mary Sue? You probably have in the past. Did you regret reading that story? What was it that made that book so unbearable to read? You don’t want your readers to regret reading your book. No one wants to read about Mary Sue. Let’s stop the Mary Sue plague. To learn more about the author, check out @sunnywithasideup on instagram.

by Sunny Solaris Blurb Aiden Strong can see dead people. As far back as he can remember, Aiden interacted with the Others. But no-one else can see them. Why? Aiden is connected to these ghosts by Trancey Strings that wrap around him and sprawl out through to the Dead World of Quiziria. Aiden doesn’t like his ability and thinks it is a curse. He desperately wants to be rid of these ghostly connections. When Aiden meets Vincent, his fate will change forever. Can Vincent help Aiden to restart his life with the living, or will everything he loves be destroyed forever? Purchase the book here. As a part of our initiative of uplifting young people and their stories, our content writer Sunny Solaris recently conducted an interview with indie author E. D. Bridges. Continue reading for the full transcript, and check out @eddie.writess on instagram to learn more about the author! Sunny: Hello! Could you please introduce yourself in your own style, and describe your book? Edison: My name is Edison, I'm 17 years old and have been creating stories as far back as I can remember. I started writing my debut novel at 14 and did work experience with a publisher when I was 15, which led me to publish under them. My novel, Strings On Me, is about a 15 year old who has the ability to see the dead. Aiden hates his powers and believes it is a curse - mostly because he is unable to distinguish the difference between the dead and the living. One day he is given the opportunity to get rid of his powers once and for all. Aiden had eight strings attached to his body which are each connected to a ghost. In the book, he travels back through time to figure out how these ghosts die, in order to cut off the strings to get rid of his powers. But along the way he starts to question himself: Is getting rid of his powers something he truly wants? Thank you for that! Who are some of your favorite authors? Rick Riordan, Neil Gaiman, Yoshihiro Togashi, Kafka Asagiri, Koyoharu Gotouge. Most of what I read and watch nowadays comes from Japanese media because I really like their stories! That’s very interesting! Now first, I’d like to ask about your writing process. When you were first drafting your novel, did you have a set timetable of a certain number of words per day? It took me a total of 2 and a half years to write, edit and publish this book. Since I was at school during that time, my school subjects at the time were my top priority. Writing is something I can do whenever I want but I can’t go back to school once it’s over. Essentially I wrote whenever I had free time. To make time for writing I got rid of most social media, and sometimes I would write in class when I was finished with an assignment. I was also moving around a lot at the time, so I would write wherever I was: in a car, at home, on a plane, etc. I didn't have a set timetable, or a set word limit to meet. I just wrote scene by scene and focused more on how far along in the story I was, as opposed to how many words I had. But I'm pretty sure I wrote over 1000 words whenever I sat down to write. Did you ever experience writer’s block, and if so, how did you deal with it? Of course! All writers experience writer's block, even the professional and most famous ones. To get past writer's block I would suggest listening to music that reminds you of your WIP. Or when you head to bed, dream about the part you are at in the book to work stuff out. If possible, write it in a journal, then expand upon it in the morning. Do you have any tips for young writers out there who are just like you when you started? If I could go back in time and tell younger me a few things, this is probably what I would tell him: You don't have to make every sentence perfect the first time you write it down. Your first draft can be horrible, messy, incredibly poorly written - it doesn’t matter. Because at the end of the day it's better than having a blank page, and you'll get the story done a whole lot faster. You can always go back and edit it later on in your second or third draft (or however many drafts you would like to do.) The first draft is not your final - so don't treat it like it is. Go at your own pace. You don't have to have a goal of writing a certain amount of words per day. Write whenever you're in the mood to - don't force yourself to write if it's becoming a chore. Writing should be something you enjoy, and if you're not enjoying it, step back and get back to it another time. Quality over quantity is always a good approach to writing. Focus on one section at a time. You don't have to write your story chronologically - in fact if you have a scene in your head, write it down! It is so much easier to write what you have in your mind, as opposed to waiting until you reach that scene in the book - because by that time you may have lost the original optimism you had when you first thought of it. I’m sure our young authors will find those very helpful! Now let’s talk about your book itself. Where did you get the inspiration for your book? At the time I kinda just pieced together what I was interested in: the main things being, time travel, ghosts, and mystery. I was 13 when I came up with the story idea, but I didn't really take inspiration from anything in particular; most of the stuff just came from my head. Is Strings on Me a stand-alone book? Or will there be more? Strings On Me has a sequel in the works! At this moment I'm writing a light novel called Restricted Freedom, but once that's done I plan to go back to writing the second addition to Strings On Me (because I left the first one on a cliffhanger :)) Did you do any sort of research for your book? I did quite a lot of research, but not as much as I would have liked to - with most stuff I just left it up to my imagination haha. Because of the time travel aspect in my novel I had to do a lot of research on how things were in certain time periods. These include the clothing/hairstyles people wore, what inventions existed at the time, societal aspects and the events that took place during that time. But I mostly ended up using my imagination with what I thought the past was like. Looking back, I wish I did do a bit more research into certain things, because I wasn't as knowledgeable with the past as I am now (I'm doing modern History and Ancient Studies as subjects - when I began the book I only had very little knowledge about the past). So I wouldn't say the past is incredibly accurate, though I did as much research as I could and did try my best to understand what I was writing about. How long did the research take? I don't really know how to answer that. I kinda just researched whenever I came across something I wasn't quite sure about, or if I wanted a general idea on the events happening in that time period. I don't have a set time. I kinda just did the research here and there. How did you select the names of your characters? For most of them I did use the 'looking through baby name websites' method, though sometimes I also chose names that I liked from books, movies and shows, etc (whether it be an actor's name, a character's name, or a real person's name.) Now that I'm thinking about it, I got one of my characters' last names from a street sign I used to go past a lot, and also got one of my characters' names from a store clerk’s name badge. Haha that’s very interesting! Were there any scenes you struggled to write? Some of the death scenes were particularly difficult to write. I did as much research as I could on them, but it was still quite challenging. Another worry I had was being insensitive - a lot of the fictional events that take place in my book could and do take place in real life too, especially certain deaths and scenarios I write about. So I tried my best to write with empathy and understanding on these deaths. What point of view is your book written in? Is there a particular reason why and does it help you write it that way? Strings On Me is written in third-person limited, mostly focusing on the protagonist Aiden Strong and the struggles that come along with being able to see the dead. It was written that way because the story is central to the protagonist (with all the other characters being ghosts). I wrote it that way because it was fundamentally important to show his perspective and point of view, with the reader following his character journey/development over the course of the story. What tropes can a reader expect in your book? There's found family, character development (for multiple characters), enemies to friends, survival situations and more. Most of my books revolve around the found family trope and close friends. There is also a tad bit of romance in the story, though it's not a focal point. A little romance never hurt anyone. Are any of your characters a self insert? Not really. I feel like some characters have small bits of my personality. The characters I most relate to are probably Curtis and Varian. For my characters, I really tried to create different types of people and used some traits that were the complete opposite of mine. I just really wanted to diversify my characters’ personalities, because I find writing about different types of people (from different walks of life) really fun. I think that’s about it! Thank you so much for letting me interview you! I look forward to checking out your book :) Oh alright! No problemo! I enjoyed it! And thanks :) To learn more about the author, check out @sunnywithasideup on instagram.

by Smrithi Senthilnathan We released issue iii about a fortnight ago and could not be more thrilled with the response we've gotten (have you read the issue yet? find it here!) People all around the world have found us to tell us that they enjoyed the issue and found pleasure in our words. We were wondering how to make the best of this amazing enthusiasm in our magazine. Why stop at just the wonderful pieces at this artists have created? Why not delve further into the stories behind these pieces and how they were created? Why not explore the minds of these splendid young creators and see what they have to tell us? That's exactly what we're going to do today! Keep reading on for the stories behind each piece in our issue. Let us know in the comments which piece from issue iii was your favorite or which creators' story spoke to you the most! Note: We've mentioned the creators' instagram accounts in brackets so you can check out more of their work. POETRY Elisabeth D. - The Greatest Flame (@bethowdiewrites) This poem can be many things, and I think that is one of the many things I love about it. Literally, it is a description of someone's relationship with fire, but it also can be a metaphor for a toxic relationship. From my own experience as a teenager, I think a lot of teens can relate to loving someone who is not good for you. The idea immediately came to my mind when I heard about the new issue, and I think it's the metaphor and the subject that, I think, anyone could relate to, that makes it good for the magazine. Writing poetry became something close to a necessity to me when I had hard times in life. Toxic relationships are something I've known, loved, and hated. The metaphor with fire came to me so naturally I immediately wrote it down, and I'm glad people enjoyed it too. Kimberly - I Am Ignited (@kimberlysquill) The inspiration for this poem came from unrequited crushes that are bound to end up hurting me, but I am unable to tear myself away from them. The topic means a lot to me, as I certainly have experienced and have seen my friends deal with similar infatuations. It's difficult to give other people space when they're making decisions about crushes; from the outside, it can be so obvious that they're playing with fire. Often, emotions and the search for dopamine overrule our common sense and knowledge that the situation isn't going to work out. I hope other teens are able to relate to the metaphor of letting yourself burn because the enjoyment right now is worth the pain later. Nai - How To Cook Up Success (@poeirtically) The persona of this poem is a chef. The effort and dedication the chef puts into cooking for the food critics' approval is meant to resonate to artists who do the same - creating for approval of others rather than one's own satisfaction, as well as being motivated to do better through the praise of others. It is relatable because many teen artists, such as myself, struggle with needing validation in order to move forward in our craft, and how lowly we think of ourselves when we don't receive it. I decided to use the analogy of a chef, because my mother cooks our meals and owns a small home baking business. While my mother believes I am the one within our family with any artistic skill, I believe there is a beauty to cooking. I believe it is an art form of its own. I think my poem would be a good fit for your magazine as it taps a bit into an artist's passion - what drives them to create. Is it a burning passion or a dimly lit one? Vastriane - Reignite (@vastriane) This poem is ambitious, as it was originally a song I wrote, and it is addressed to myself. On the initial drafting process, it was supposed to be about the things I want to tell myself, but like most people, I am filled with insecurities and exhaustion. And so, it turned out to be a list of things that I would tell myself even though I know they were only half-true. It is a sort of self-gaslighting, a toxic trait that I unconsciously developed throughout my youth, which I came to utilize to re-ignite my motivation and self-confidence. The title also alludes to my middle name, hence why it was personal. Ines Mueller - Pyrophobia (@ines.m.m) When I saw the prompt, I immediately wanted to do something about the fear of fire—but it struck me as odd when I realized I'd never heard the word before. So I wrote about that. Zia Adora - Flicker (@sleepdeprived_writer) "flicker" is based on how when an abused person speak up about how they got abused, no one takes them seriously. Especially if they knew the abuser personally. Nobody takes notice. Well not until it blows up in their faces. Parents, teachers and the whole society urges the victim to speak about the abuse but never listens to them when they finally get the courage to do so. Even if they listen they don't take a step to help them, or they turn the blame on the victim and their dressing sense or behavior like that's the thing that needs to be changed. I wrote this poem in hopes that people would help the ones in need of help when they ask them. Regardless of how small the issue is or who did it, cause sometimes the predator is lurking around so closer than you think and it's hard to believe someone close from your family can do it but fire is fire , a flicker or a whole burning forest so if you can help it. Just put the fire off when it's still a flicker. Sumo - Schadenfreude (@sumomuso604) Just a picture of a flame showing a broken heart started weaving some lines in my head and I started writing it right away! Caroline Chou - Aflame (@clswriting) The dual nature of fire—the way that it can heal and hurt—is incredibly interesting to me. How can it be that the same flames humans have sat around to swap stories and share meals can also be used as weapons for absolute destruction? Through my piece "Aflame," I was inspired to examine this duality: due to our inherent understanding that fire can be dangerous, at first glance, this piece may appear to be told from a villain's perspective. However, the element of fire that labels the narrator as "villainous" also serves as their own source of strength and comfort. Writing this piece challenged me to examine the world from an alternate lens, and I hope that it will encourage other teens to do the same too. Kanishka Kataria - Between Us Let The Silence Scream (@kanishkax.217) "Between Us Let the Silence Scream" is a conversation with the soul which showcases how it constantly urges us to move forward taking solid steps. The past is a testimony of what we are today. Dealing with all the wild stuff, crying our hearts out, and coming out much more potent than before, this is the story of every human being. While penning this down, I was engulfed by several emotions, growing up, losing friendships, gaining privileges, and being absorbed in a life that entails much more than simply delight. The voice of our inner self that usually remains unheard in the rat race is the true support and guide to our development as an individual. We might not ever pay heed to the immense strength within ourselves, here symbolically fire we hold within. However, at the end of the day, we feel the warmth, the comfort in only that fire. Every line in the poetry shouts for our existence which ultimately will time prove. Kelli Weldon - Perseids (@kelliwritespoems) Myriad feelings emerge after a loved one’s diagnosis. It can be overwhelming to face losing someone who has had a meaningful impact on your life. This poem is about wanting to connect with them and the desire to give them back everything their illness has taken away. The title, Perseids, references the meteor shower of the same name. Teresa M - March 8th (@louvre_in_blue) This poem speaks about feminism and how the patriarchy and modern forms of misogyny still harm many aspects of our lives. It pictures the fire as the revolution that grows inside and outside of every woman. The flame is our power, the uncontrollable force that will bring us peace. And I hope every reader finds in it a light, a match, or something that makes their own flame stronger. In the early 20th century, several factories were burned down with many women inside, and while these events were tragedies and carried many casualties, it also became the beginning of feminism and women empowerment. And that is the message I wanted to convey: dust to dust, flame to flame. All the mentions to sexualisation and abuse were inspired by individual experiences and everyday incidents, unfortunately. It hurts to write this in 2023, but c'est la vie. Shamik Banerjee - Tomorrow (@where_tales_end) This is a recently penned poem. I have been bedridden for weeks due to a severe illness and this poem is an outcome of this condition. This poem talks about the distress I have been going through being stuck in my room as a patient and of the immediacy to break free and go out. Because of my inability to walk freely, I have used the word 'shamble'. The word 'deg' means 'to sprinkle' or 'to moisten'. The acts of dismissing (to amand) all miseries and writing a ballad for myself, display my attempt to be my own happiness and motivation. Watching a flock of Dunlins and consoling myself of the fact that though Hope sometimes seems far but still I can acquaint myself with it, display fortitude. Lastly, after completing the ballad, I set my illness on fire. This shows my urge to renew and find freedom from this cage. Ollie Shane - You Say You Want A Revolution I wanted to have the perspective of a marginalized person attending a leftist space, in particular a local organization allegedly dedicated to “collective liberation.” Leftist organizations are critiqued for a lack of diversity, especially in their membership, and I wanted this to reflect that. They are also critiqued for reading more theory than actually improving the lives of those that their theorists discuss, and, in fact, whitewashing and white-knighting those dear to them (coughs in many white leftist men on the bird site). I decided to discuss these in a poem, and I hope that you feel inspired to change this paradigm. CREATIVE NON-FICTION Allison Kwan - How To Remember 'Home' (@cloudykorner) In "How To Remember 'Home'", the protagonist struggles to adjust to life in America after being uprooted from her homeland, China. Her husband urges her to quit smoking, but she can't bring herself to give it up as the scent that reminds her of home. As she watches a television program about street vendors in China, memories flood back to her, and she realizes that her husband is losing touch with his culture. The couple's differing views on assimilation create a rift between them, leaving the protagonist feeling torn between two worlds. This poignant story explores the bittersweet complexities of identity and the longing for a place to call home. I hope this story reminds us that even when we are physically far away from our roots, we can still hold on to them through our memories and senses. Franzzine Delacroix - The Fuel To The Fire Of Passion (@amazinglyy.anna) The Fuel to the Fire of Passion" centers around the concept of what could fuel the fire inside of every artist — of writers primarily — narrated through the author's own experience of what she went through to discover what exactly became the key to igniting the passion of her own heart. In light of the theme "Kindle the flame", this piece aims to tell a story of what the author and everyone else could do to set or perhaps reawaken their love for art ablaze — but only to the extent that it would have them continue on, and not exactly burn themselves entirely, in the process. By means of this literature, the author wishes to inspire others and have them become are of the importance of not giving up on doing what they love the most. Being the second entry that Franzz has submitted and the first entry to be accepted, this work is extremely special to her as this presented her with the opportunity that further solidified her belief that one should always keep moving forward no matter what happens, in order to keep their burning passion alive. For teens like herself, be it those who have been creating art for a long time now, or those who are only getting started, Franzz, along with this creation of hers, aims to encourage them to add fuel to their own fire, even if they encounter numerous hurdles ahead that would try and extinguish them, they still shine. PROSE Ghosty - The Fourth (@poetry_gh0st) My piece is heavily influenced by Gabriel Garcia Marquez's magical realism drenched One Hundred Years of Solitude. The story follows a man, a personification of 'The Fourth' stage of grief which is depression. He is called Forest, an extended metaphor of his suffocating love for a woman, and the cause of his grief. This grief uses fire as a motif and also a warning. Teens, like me, can relate to this because love is such a potent part of our lives and it's something everyone experiences in their life. Jiayin Tang - Kitchen Tiles (@qloudy_day) This story is much more surrealist- but also rooted more in the real world- than my usual works, and while writing it, I considered multiple times to delete it and start over from scratch. It felt like a stranger, and I wasn’t sure why I wasn't deleting it or why I was continuing to write it. But in hindsight, I can see why. With college applications approaching, and the pressure to find what I want to do for the rest of my life, it’s no wonder I felt lost. This story encompasses that feeling, of not having any true passions but still feeling empty in life. I hope this story brings hope to other teens the way it did for me, which is why I’m submitting it to this magazine. Shu J Liu - Burning Bridges, Building Walls (@wlvshuu) A bit of an extension on the idea of fire being tool, with some hints of fire being helpful (although not as apparent) Jack Morris - The Origin Of Chaos (@jackswriting) When I am given a theme like 'Kindle The Flame', there's only one tale that I want to tell; the story of Prometheus, of the first kindling of the flame for humanity in Greek mythology. For me, it is such a powerful tale, and one that has themes that we see play over and over again throughout history, and into the modern age. Prometheus' tale is, at its core, about breaking the status quo. Zeus and the other Olympians maintain dominance over the Earth and the wider universe, and keep humanity down by hoarding the power of creation and of destruction for themselves (that being the flame). Thus it is the job of Prometheus, the trickster Titan, to disrupt this status quo, and chop at the foundations of that hierarchy to begin its dismantling. This is a storyline that we see play out constantly, in various areas of life; for example, the dogma of older Christianity demanding that we see animals as products of God's power, only for Charles Darwin to swoop in and smash that assumption, opening biology up to new paradigms. Yet I think each person who reads this tale can take something from it into their own lives. We have all been given the gift of chaos by Prometheus, and the ability to impact or even destroy the status quo if we believe it to be the right decision. Every single human has this beautiful capacity for change, both individually and societally, and I think that reminding yourself that you have just as much a power to do something incredible in this world as Darwin did, or even as Prometheus himself did, is paramount to a good life. I thank you for reading my piece, and I hope that you take these messages to heart with you through life. Isha Gandi - The Show Must Go On (@ishagandi) I was really inspired by the confusion that I and tons of other teenagers have felt about our futures. Sometimes, it's so difficult to find the one thing that is your calling. Your talent. Your future. Especially that one-- it's so difficult to be able to make a decision about your entire life in such a short time. I've constantly felt the pressure. Every time I see anyone going to college, pursuing their dreams, living their lives and having the careers they love, I always wonder what that is for me. Other than writing, what is something that I truly enjoy doing? I'm sure tons of other high schoolers feel this way. College students, and maybe even adults, may feel this way too. Just teenagers and above, and honestly, maybe even kids. I hope that this shows people that one day, they will find fire inside of them, and it might even come in the most unexpected places. VISUAL ARTWORK I N Shimabuku - O'Foxy Eve O'Bite (@kijimuna.shima) I was called a snake because I set boundaries with a man through text. However, despite the stinging words, I have come to accept the title, as snakes are such beautiful and misunderstood creatures. Maybe I am the snake that tempted Eve, and I have been told that I look like a fox. I think foxes are neat, and also misunderstood. They are such gentle creatures made out to be sly and cheeky (I still think Nick Wilde is pretty great though, I must say). The pair of vampire lips aligns with how those who are femme presenting are to be seen as modest and how femme presenting folks in charge of their own sexuality and behavior are seen as evil. I mean, yes vampires are evil but also lesbian. And I'm a lesbian. This piece is to remind me that I do not need to conform to how a man should see a girl, especially an asian one. Being part Asian (technically Ryukyuan but Japanese due to assimilation and legal status) has made me subject to weird comments that objectify my asian side. I was considered mean for displaying my discomfort towards a guy who seemed to fetishize me. But hey, being a snake or a fox is a way to protect myself. And my sanity. Be a snake to weird patriarchy lol. Austin Lubetkin - The Tower Of Ambition (@bocaaust) The piece is part of a larger ongoing series reimagining designs of tarot cards. I’m hoping to release the whole series as a tarot deck when I finish the series. This piece in particular was a collaboration with photographer Tim Smith where I used several different buildings he photographed to create a unique structure that was a hybrid of many architectural styles and representative of ambition. Many of the artists recent pieces have incorporated mixed media assemblage with unique details to each canvas like crushed glass elements or 3D butterflies.