Accused of an assault he doesn't remember, Ricky's senior year is made doubly complicated when he falls for the victim's best friend, Olivia - his only alibi.
***
Growing up among New Yo...
But shortly after I started, my cousin began to show signs of mental problems, my grandfather became seriously ill, and I was run down on my bike, hitting my head so hard I was brought unconscious to the hospital and stayed for two weeks.
After that, my writing almost stopped. My grandfather passed away, my cousin was found dead, and I could not keep up in school or at home. My life was chaos. I dropped out after being diagnosed with a depression, and tried starting school again after half a year. But nothing changed. I still couldn't keep up with my lessons; even dropping more and more classes didn't help. Especially because I started getting panic attacks when there were too many people around me.
Finally, my aunt approached me, mentioning the possibility that I was struggling because of a hidden traumatic brain injury. My doctor sent me to a psychiatrist, who asked me the same kind of questions the psychiatrist asked Ricky in the story. And just as with Ricky, his conclusion was clear and immediate. I had a TBI.
Now, not only had the details of losing what felt like a brother become a reality for me during my writing, but also the TBI. (And, because of course, I also lost my second grandfather three days after entering the Paid Stories program.)
My writing has never returned to how it was in the beginning. Every chapter has been slow and hard-won. But I made it. I finally succeed in my efforts after ten trying years. 💪
Did I expect the story to become so long and take so many years to finish when I first started writing? Heck no. And it hasn't always been a joyful journey. But I had to continue. There was no giving up for me because the story wouldn't get out of my head and leave me alone. Seriously, these characters have continuously been roaming around in my head, at all hours, for years and years.
But that's the funny thing. Having had the story in my thoughts for such a long time, little details kept popping into my head, elements that would tie the characters and their individual stories together, making for one cohesive storyline. I was able to drop subtle hints for things to come, long before they would be revealed. And I love that. (Roxie's makeover suggestion in chapter two is a foreshadowing.) So, in that sense, it hasn't been all bad that it's taken me so long to complete the novel. Though, I will admit, there have been times when I wished someone else could come in and take over because I just wanted the story to be done with already.
Over the years, the book has gone through several title changes as well. Here, on Wattpad, it's been titled 'Loser' and 'The Broken Heart Syndrome,' before finally landing on 'Olivia & Ricky's Odyssey to Rock Bottom.' The funny thing is, in the beginning, I was very set on giving the book a one-word title. I obviously didn't stick with that. 😂
When I first started writing, my chapters were also a hell of a lot longer. Chapters 1-67 used to be only 18 chapters. I know. 👀
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These are the original chapters from before discovering Wattpad. As you can see, I've kept part of some titles to this day, using them as inspiration for the titles appearing in the finished book.
