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Expressing imagination through writing

Young writer uses her skills to create unique characters and worlds

Alyssa Neil is a typical 10-year-old who like many her age enjoys pets, horseback riding and soccer, but few of her peers can also say they are a published author.

An avid reader who enjoys Chris Colfer’s, “A Tale of Magic” and “The Wishmakers” by Tyler Whitesides, she has been inspired to use her imagination to create stories. When there was a school assignment to write a story last winter, her imagination and writing simply kept going. 

This imagination helped her develop Nova, a 10-year-old girl with the ‘Powers of the Universe’ who learns to use her skills to escape a power-seeking teacher and save the world. In the process, she travels with a troll named Elliot to the magical island of Atha where they encounter other creatures.

“I love to read books about people with natural powers who save the world, so I thought it would be a good experience to write a book of my own,” says Alyssa, a soon-to-be 5th grader at Sunrise Point Elementary.

As such, Alyssa kept working on her story after the school assignment was completed and fleshed it out into a chapter book that she titled “Nova.” Her mom Christina helped her in the editing and publishing process and in getting her connected with Outskirts Press, which assists self-publishing authors.

“I enjoy writing because I love telling stories, and I want everyone to hear the stories I have created about Nova and her journeys,” Alyssa says.

Alyssa says one of the morals readers can glean from “Nova” is to stay determined and to never give up. After all, the main character had to remain dedicated and determined throughout the book.

“My story is about trying your hardest to get things done,” Alyssa says. “Nova didn’t give up.”

She says she especially loves creating characters during the writing process. She typically starts by creating a character’s name and deciding if they will be a human or fantasy character. She then decides on the character’s personality and even draws a sketch of the character to give her further inspiration and bring the character to life in her mind. She finally puts the character into the story and decides what role they will have.

Alyssa says the most challenging part of writing the story was connecting all the characters and places into one complete story.

“It was really fun for us to watch her stay dedicated to this story,” Christina says. “One of her fun short stories turned into a 60-page book.” 

“Nova” can currently only be purchased online through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Target, but they also hope to get it in stores soon.

Fantasy is not the only genre that interests Alyssa. She also loves history and is now working on another book about a girl named Eden who was traveling the Oregon Trail when she is kidnapped by Native Americans.

Alyssa encourages other kids who love to write stories to stick with it and always try their hardest to get it done. She has stories she has not finished, but she has remained determined and kept writing until she found the right stories to complete.

Alyssa says she wants to keep writing as she grows up, but she might look at something else for her primary career in adulthood. Regardless, more works from her are likely to be available in the future, and her imagination is just getting started.

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