I really enjoyed writing this story. I loved taking these characters and molding them like balls of clay, making them my own. I'm proud to look back and reflect and think, oh my god, I wrote thirty-one chapters. Do I count this as writing a novel? Honestly, I don't really know. As it's a fanfiction, a lot of the groundwork had already been laid out for me, so even though yes, the plot is mine, and yes, so are the characters in an abstract sort of way (MOST RIGHTS STILL BELONG TO SUZANNE COLLINS), I don't know if, personally, I am willing to acknowledge this as "I have written a novel".
Now, that's not to say that I don't think other fanfictions are novels! They defintely are, it's just taking another story and retelling it. It's still your work! But to see myself as a novelist, I would like to create something entirely my own.
I've been thinking of renaming my story, going back and changing the characters' names and a few small details to make it entirely personal. I haven't decided if I'll do that yet, but I hope you'll support me if I choose to do something like that!
I would like to say how grateful I am for all of you that have made it to the end, whether you've been here since day one or you started this story last week. I recently had someone comment and vote on every single chapter (several times) within a week, and it made my day to see someone so interested in and commited to my story!
As of its completion (January 23, 2021 at 1:19am), this story has gotten 4.5K reads. I'm so so so thankful to anyone and everyone who started this story and decided to stick with it, and I'm appalled that there are so many of you. I know there are stories on here that get millions of reads and thousands of votes and views, but as a personal milestone, 4.5K is HUGE. Seeing my reader and comment count climb steadily over the past couple of months is really what kept me going even when I was in a bad place and wanted to stop. It wasn't that I wanted to tough it out for the people who read it, but it showed me that if I just did it for myself, other people would appreciate it as much as I would.
All of your comments have been so so SO supportive and you all seem like such lovely people! Have I had comments where someone has had a difference of opinion with me? ABSOLUTELY. But no one was EVER even mildly disrespectful to me and seeing as it can be really hard to share content without getting hate for it in this world, I am so grateful to you all for being such wonderful readers! This platform and its people have kept me positive and inspired even when I was at my worst. Writing helped me push through my mental and emotional blocks, and even though my mental health is still very rocky, all of your support has made me feel so accepted and appreciated and I know I've said this a lot, but I am eternally thankful for your support. I don't know how many people have made it this far, but whoever you are, I love you all so much.
Even as a writer - a novelist and a poet - I can't find the words to express my gratitude in all of its volume, but I hope you know that if you're reading this, you have helped a person start to accept herself and to grow beyond what she ever though was possible. It means so much that you've enjoyed my story this much!
If you have, in fact, made it this far, please please comment your favourite character/scene/quote... one thing specifically that you enjoyed about this story. It would mean everything if you would take a minute or two out of your day to share your feedback, and by all means, reply to each other's comments and get a conversation going!
I can't remember if it was a comment or a message, but a few days ago I received something from a reader saying that my characters were helping her to cope with her own stress and trauma she's been experiencing because of the pandemic and everything else going on not just in the world but in her life, and I was honoured and just honestly so touched that something I brought to life has helped someone in such a way. I hope that one day, my work will be able to stretch beyond even all of you and get to and hopefully make a difference to even more people. If you've enjoyed it and you think it could help someone else cope with the world, or even just give them something to distract them, it would mean the world to me if you would share my story with a friend!
I would just like to take a few more minutes to talk about something different. I started an original story back in October. It's called Breathing Blue and it's about two teenaged girls with lung diseases who start a program in their hospital to help children with chronic illnesses. I have only written and edited about nine chapters, and I have been debating posting it. I think I am going to wait until I have completed the manuscript before sharing it, but if you would be interested in my slowly releasing information (character profiles, quotes, possibly a prologue, etc.) about Breathing Blue, please let me know!
Back to Panem High, I really do hope you liked reading this story as much as I liked writing it. It was my salvation for a long time and it always felt good to indulge. You really can tell it took me a year and a half to write, because my writing style (and skill) has changed vastly since Chapter 1 was first uploaded. I've since gone back and fixed most of the grammar mistakes, but I never commited to revising the actual storytelling. Who knows, maybe I'll get to it eventually if my executive dysfunction decides to go on vacation for a while.
Partway through this story, I realized I really was partial to a few specific characters and it was really showing... their chapters were longer, more sentimental, and just generally better written, which honestly did reflect the effort I'd put in to them in comparison to the chapters told from the perspectives of characters I was less fond of. As they story went on, however, I think I pretty much smoothed that over. (Also, yes, I do 100% realize that the whole "fight" between Annie and Clove was absolutely useless and poorly developped and had little to no impact on the plot and I should probably just get rid of that little ditty altogether. I really only briefly got into detail about how either of them were feelng about it and hardly acknowledged it from other characters' points of view even though a rift in a big group like that has such a colossal impact in real life and it definitely would not have been pushed aside so easily.)
I would like to acknowledge a few people who have specifically kept me going with their votes, comments and general support:
All stories have an end. Whether I've reached the end of this story, I'm not yet certain. Are there more tales to be told of these lovely girls? Yes. Have I thought out some storylines I would play out if I were to write a second installment? I have. Did I intentionally leave you off with several cliffhangers/plotholes "for you to think about" (meaning I was leaving some starting points for a possible continuation)? Definitely. And have I enjoyed telling you this part of their story with all of my heart? Absolutely. So it would only make sense for me to continue sharing their legacy. But I've several other factors to weigh in: things like school (I started high school in September and it was a much bigger change than I expected), my mental health (which has definitely hit the wall this past little while), and Breathing Blue (which I would really love to prioritize for a while).
If you somehow made it to the end of this ridiculous spiel, I'm proud of you and grateful for you. If you have the time, please comment a specific character/scene/quote from this book that you particularly enjoyed; let's talk! It would mean so much to hear your opinions!
All my love and gratitude,
Savanna <3
YOU ARE READING
Panem High: Freshman Year
FanfictionKatniss Everdeen, Clove Kentwell, Glimmer Belcourt, Johanna Mason, Finch Crossley, Madge Undersee, Delly Cartwright and Annie Cresta are starting high school. They're going headfirst into new friendships, new boys, and a lot of new drama. But at lea...
