Hello, longtime friends! It's been more than two years since I completed The Boy I Hate and three since I started it. That might not seem like long, but I'm a more informed writer than I was back then. Many more people have stumbled this story than I originally anticipated, and reading it back these days, I can't help but feel embarrassed. There's so much about TBIH that I love, but so much more untapped potential and cringeworthy buffoonery. I'm still no Shakspeare, but I think this story could be improved by another draft.
I won't abandon the broad strokes of the plot, but just about everything else is subject to change. I want my characters dimensionalized. I want less transparent prose describing a sometimes recognizable plot. I want to more thoroughly explore my themes. I want to inject more intensity into the romance. I want to do away with a few wattpadian cliches included in the rough draft. This is why we're not calling it editing. I'm not redecorating a house; I'm tearing it down and rebuilding it with updated blueprints.
When?
Now! Rewritten chapters are up as we speak. Though, I can't tell you how long this will take or how frequently I'll be updating. I'm working on first drafts of other stories still, and I'm bad at prioritizing.
Where?
Wattpad, of course! Within this same book, but don't fret; the original chapters will still be here! Too many people have The Boy I Hate sitting in their libraries and reading lists to do away with what's already here. The completed version will stay up as is and I'll be publishing new chapters to the end. All you have to do is keep scrolling!
•••
To avoid any confusion, these are the major name changes I'll be implementing:
Mabel Abram → Amabel Abram
Charles Turner → Jayden Caswell
Margeret Abram → Deborah Abram
Margie Hill → Catherine Churchill
If you're curious as to why, the abundance of "Ma" names in the original was a huge oversight, and I've always thought Charles Turner was too white-collar a name for his character. Also, she's still nicknamed Mabel.
YOU ARE READING
The Boy I Hate
Teen FictionThe year is 1996. In a wealthy Vermont city, the east and west rivalry runs deep - the most substantial feud being that between West Port High's star pitcher and East Port Academy's best batter. Throughout their high school careers, Charles Turner a...
