Author's Note & Dedication
This narrative has been a semester long project for my Advanced Writing class. I finished it two weeks ago but then I spilled water on my computer and lost all but the first seven pages. Over the course of five days, I rewrote the entire piece. I think it's a lot better than it was before, and I hope you'll enjoy it.
Part of the reason I'm posting this is because I want to keep it safe. I don't plan to kill my computer again, but you never know what can happen. In any case, I don't want to take any chances. The other reason why I'm posting this is because I want to get my story out to the world. I've worked hard on this. It's 25 pages long and the first big non-fiction piece I've finished. I want to get it out there.
I want to thank some people before I get to the actual story. First of all, I want to thank Sarah and Laura Robinson, the first people who ever read my on-going novel about Ariella Churchill. I'm afraid I haven't portrayed you as nice people in this story, but please know that I don't think you're mean and horrible. You're both very nice people and very talented writers and editors. If it wasn't for you, this story would be completely different, and maybe not as good. So thank you for your comments all those years ago.
I also want to thank my professor, Prof. House, who assigned this project and who was so understanding when my computer crashed. Thank you for making me write this. It's been a great experience for me. I know I've grown a lot over the semester because I've had to write this narrative. I want to thank the people at my table in class—Erik, Amy, Matt, and Nate—for reading this and helping me out so much. Your comments helped a lot.
I want to thank my dad for all he's done for me over the years, listening to me describe my story ideas and helping me develop them, reading to me and giving me a love of the written word in the first place, and generally just being an amazing person. Without you, I know I would never have become the person I am today. You have always been supportive and loving. You didn't even yell at me when I killed my computer, and you encouraged me to start rewriting this piece right away after I lost it. Without you, I might have given up on it and taken a zero on it, failing the class.
Finally, I want to thank Jesus Christ, my savior, friend, and my greatest supporter. It is by the grace of God that I finished this manuscript. I recognize that and I praise God for it. I dedicate this piece to Him above all others. May it glorify His name and prove that God has a plan for our lives, even if we can't always see it at the time.
Please enjoy the story. Reviews are appreciated. Happy reading!
—Anne—