Outcasts [PUBLISHED]

Addressing Some Issues

Hello my beautiful Outcasts readers!

Firstly I just want to thank you all for your continued support for my book. If you've bought it off of Amazon, or simply read what is here on Wattpad, I genuinely thank you for doing so. It warms my little writing heart.

However, I've been seeing a lot of comments on this story that have been bugging me.
I'm just going to come out and say it: this story could have been written/edited a lot better. And this is completely on me.

I've said this about a million times, but I wrote this when I was fourteen and fifteen years old. I'd never had a boyfriend and my concept of love was completely different than what it is now at twenty-two years old. I didn't know anything about relationships so this was all written purely out of fantasy.

I'm super proud of myself for completing a full length novel at such a young age. I mean, I can barley finish one now so that shows me how dedicated I was to this story. But that also means Riley and Aiden's relationship is really rocky and at times not at all healthy. Their characters aren't perfect. Aiden is mean and Riley is judgmental. In real life Aiden and Riley's relationship would be extremely toxic. They are not the couple you should be saying "goals" to.

I see a lot of hate on Riley for being so judgmental and out of tune with everyone. Everyone has a right to their opinion. She's not perfect, but who is? Not even real life people are perfect. If I wrote Riley's character today she'd be completely different. She still wouldn't like 'girly' things, but she wouldn't judge other people for liking them. I wish I could rewrite her whole dynamic with Aiden, but the book is already published and out in the world.

Yes, this story is juvenile. Yes, I was young when I wrote it. And yes, I would rewrite it today if I could.

My stories are like my children and I will defend them as much as deem acceptable. Not everyone will like this story, but that's because this story has a very specific audience.

Doing better is my ultimate goal and every main character I write from here on out will be inclusive, judgement-free, and very much an intersectional feminist because that's what I believe is right.

Thank you for all your support, and I look forward to writing so many more stories for you all! ❤️