A Work In Progress

Books and writing from authors surround us every day. They are in classes, stores, and homes. Here, at Martinsville High School, we do our fair share of writing in class. Four people in particular are going beyond that and being authors of more than just poems for English class.

Sophia Jackson is our official resident author. “Writing, for me, is kind of an outlet. It’s the way that you can express yourself and it’s a way that you can make an impact on the world,” Jackson said. Jackson has also published a book that is set to come out in four to six weeks, but there is no specific set date for the book to come out.

But what was that like for her?

“It’s kind of an interesting process,” Jackson said. “It’s tough because, you know, you don’t always get accepted by the first publishing company that you submit to. Then, usually, you have to adhere to a lot of their rules, which takes away some of the creative liberties. But aside from that, it’s an overall pretty sweet process.”

Next, we have Becca Clark who has been writing her story through an interesting process. She writes her stories down on paper before she types them out. “It actually comes pretty easy,” Clark said. “Writing is my way to make it through the day. Like some people, you’ll see them doodle or try to sneak reading a book in.”

Leah Fraser and Brianna Gregory are different. They write for fun and Gregory even posts her stories on Wattpad. “Seeing the views [on the story] tend to make me feel happy that people actually care,” Gregory said. Fraser does it for escape and hasn’t published her works anywhere, yet.

“[It’s] stressful. Everything can be stressful. Even the most fun things can be stressful,” Fraser said, “but the thing is trying to handle that stress. Whenever I get writer’s block, I feel stressed out, but then I realize I’ll take my time and I’ll get through it. And then I’ll come back stronger than ever.”

For these writers, writing has helped them through life. Writing is an escape to them, and the lands that they create provide an escape for us as well. So as they turn out more stories, we will keep reading.