Feb 14, 2023
I'm glad I came back and finished this one. I checked it out after the finalists were announced, read the first seven chapters, and preemptively concluded that I wasn't really the audience for this, like so many of the school entries. When I read the first two chapters of your Feb. writing challenge entry, I thought there may be something I had overlooked with this one.
And boy, was there. If I had held on for just one more chapter, I would have seen it earlier. The meta elements were super relatable, as were the overall themes of finding meaning on one's own, dealing with failure as part of growing up, and continuing to hold onto hope and keep trying new things, even when they may not work out.
I can definitely see why this made it to finals now. Thanks for writing this.