Featured Story of the Week: Wasted

Wasted is a hockey fan fiction following a young blogger by the name of Stephanie and the Chicago Blackhawks team. In this week's Featured Story, we take a closer look at the mind behind this work.

Give us a brief summary of Wasted.

The story revolves around my original character, Stephanie, and the world of hockey and blogging. In each chapter, a blog entry of hers is included to give some insight into what stage of the season it is.

Through a childhood friend, Brandon Saad, a Chicago Blackhawks forward, Steph comes to meet the team and develops a close friendship with them all. The captain, at first meeting, seems distant and withdrawn. She attributes it to pre-season stress, but comes to learn it's a little more than that. Through an overheard conversation, she learns that he's not going to bother making a move with her because he thinks it's a waste of time. But all anyone wants is a little love, right?

What inspired you to write Wasted?

I wrote Wasted for a contest and was given the song 'About a Girl' by The Academy Is.... It took me a little while to find the inspiration in the song, but once I did, I ran with it.

How long have you been working on this story?

It's been done for a few weeks and I'm in the early stages of plotting a sequel (mentally). But while writing it, I probably spent a little over a week. Probably under two. I just kind of fell in love with the story and plot as I was writing.

What is your favorite thing about writing Wasted?

I absolutely loved writing her blog entries. They offered a look into what she was thinking and I think they give an interesting kind of twist to the story. Other than that, I loved writing Steph's teasing and sassy dialogue. She's a little like me in that way.

What is the most challenging thing about writing it?

The most challenging thing was not getting ahead of myself! When I came up with the plot idea, I had one specific scene in my head - chapter 7. Once I'd written it, I realized it didn't work as a stand alone. So, I worked backwards to the beginning, edited 7, and then wrote to the end.

Have you ever experienced writer's block with this story? If so, how did you overcome it?

I'm pretty happy to say that I didn't. That's often something I struggle with, but I had no shortage of ideas when it came to writing Wasted. I ended up having to cut a lot out before it was all done!

Do you write with an outline, or just wing it?

With some stories, I'll map out key plot points. But with this one, it was all kind of done by the seat of my pants. I had an idea of how I wanted it all to go, but other than that, it was done as I went along.

Do you have any pre/post writing rituals?

If I'm writing using a song as inspiration, I usually listen to it before I write and look over the lyrics. And before I actually get to typing, I like to have a general idea of how the chapter begins. After I write it, I like to upload it to the site before I check it out with the layout and read through it. Sometimes, the formatting doesn't look quite right.

Is there anything you would like to say to your readers?

Go and check out the sequel! And of course, a big thank you for all the wonderful feedback I got; I was so happy to hear you all enjoyed it so much!

Special thanks to Airi. and Fandango for editing!