TeenageTells- The History Of Amethyst

2 years ago, I was just starting the version of my book which is now on Amazon.

But the story begins much earlier.

It starts in 2021, when I was in year 5ish (10). I wrote my first non-school-related story. Named Red and Green Destiny. You're going to see this title a lot.

It was about two girls, Ruby and Emerald, who sat in a blossom tree at their school, before the earth and fire rose from the ground to gift them powers. They also had a friend called Hazel White. In some draft, they'd have to travel, through a storm, to Russia to find a magical crystal ball to save the world from being turned to stone, basically.

That's all I can remember from that version. I never finished it, and have no physical record, unfortunately.

We then skip to me in year 7 (12). I tried to re-write Red and Green Destiny. This time, it was about Ruby and Emerald who live in the 'wrong' kingdom. They'd have to find each other, in order to stop the two enemy kingdoms from destroying each other. Around now was when my other characters were being thought of, with Sapphire and Pearl as a pair, along with Calcite and Amethyst as one. Luckily, I changed Calcite much later to be Amber.

And the champion Gary was thought of, in the form of Ruby's best friend.

I remember giving my English teacher a copy of the first few chapters, asking for advice, but she never spoke about it. She took the copy, and just stayed quiet. But I was too shy to ask her.

I then finished the story, and I made it into a book, by printing out single-sided pages and gluing them together, and drawing a cover. It is so unnecessarily thick, and it's still on my writing shelf now. I was so proud. It was printed in colour, had the worst formatting ever, and the edges were horrendous, having been super wonky and shaved down with a nail file. But it was mine.

During this obsession time, one of my mum's teacher-friends came over to her house for a BBQ or something. Mum told me to get my book to show, and as her friend held it in her hand, she said something I'll never forget:

"This is really impressive! You should publish this someday!"

It got the cogs turning. When I became an adult, could I share this with the world?

Somehow, I forgot about writing books for more than a year. Again.

In December '23, I had been toying with an idea or two on how to change this book around. This is where we meet our protagonist, Max. He and Amethyst originally had opposite personalities, until 1/1/24. I had heard a piece of advice online, that you shouldn't introduce too many characters too quickly at the start of your story. This inspired me to make it a series, with one book for each character.

My New Year's resolution (not exactly, but it was a good start date) was to write a book. I started with a little plan, and it snowballed from there. Finished 10,000 words in February or March, and finished the whole book by April. I had aimed for 20,000 words (the length of a novella), but reached over 30,000. I edited and edited, and kept asking my parents if I could actually publish it. They had said yes a couple of times, but it was a casual sure, so I didn't feel as if it was 'planny' enough. But then, it was 100 days before September 29th, and I was counting down the days. I wrote short stories, tried to reach out to other writers, and was editing frantically.

In July, I allowed my book for pre-order as a test, and then in August, I officially submitted all my files. And it was incredible. The webpage said 'congratulations' and, again, I was so proud. That summer, I saved up most of my sweets so I could celebrate my publication day.

When my proof copy came, it was printed backwards. Oh no. I didn't research enough, and it was backwards. So, my sister and one of my friends to this day own a backwards copy. It did get fixed, and now it's the right way round.

And everything became so real. I returned to school and talked to my year group about my book. Then to the year 7s and 8s. And my primary school. I was on the radio. Started writing my second book. I did an indie book fair. Took part in a poetry competition and got highly commended. Was on another radio.

I am so thankful for everything that led up to this moment. It all made me into the person and writer I am today. I've had so many opportunities, and I want to thank the universe. Reading my book again, recently, was a surreal experience. I wrote that? And published it at 13? What else will I do?

I now plan for a 6-book series, a spin-off book, writing short stories, finishing my after-writing guide, having this very blog, and just writing. Keep on writing. Studying literature. Everything I can do.

I've been very lucky (and, humbly, I'd like to admit hardworking) to get to start this journey so young. Finding this passion will, hopefully, allow it to be my career in the future.

But that does beg the question, what should you expect in the future?

Books. Lots of them. And a lot of me (self-advertisement time: please stick with me on this journey).

Emerald- Time And Time Again is going to be released on the 29th of May 2026. Along with that, there is going to be an updated version of Amethyst, with a beautiful new cover (so excited!), better formatting, and a little bit of fixed grammar. 99% of the book content is the exact same, just nicer to read. Hopefully, it'll be cheaper, as I'll be able to have fewer pages printed.

I want to keep the same content, not for nostalgia (but that does contribute), but also to show my progression in writing. To have the same little 13-year-old heart alive in it.

I wish that Amethyst will be a beautiful start to an amazing world. And I hope you'll be here to see it, too.

So, look out for Emerald and Amethyst 2.0. I've got a lot to share with you.

If you found this week's blog for teenage writers fun, or you think someone else will love to read it, share it with others! Like, comment, share, bla-bla-bla. I hope I've inspired some people to see it's all possible. That every step is essential and beautiful.