She rushes into her room after a long day at school, throws her backpack on the ground and sits down at her desk. As she grabs her notebook, her head is bursting with thoughts on the new plot twist she imagined in her head at school that day. Writing feverishly, Colleen Starkey tries to remember every little detail in order to capture them on the page where her stories become reality.
Colleen plans to finish her own dystopian fictional novel near the beginning of summer which she started writing during the Christmas break. The project is a work in progress, and she plans to make it a two to three book series.
“I wanted to write a book because the idea just came into my head one day,” Colleen said. “I thought I can make this into an awesome book, and I think it has made me a better writer because I can put my words together better.”
The novel is about three main characters, Valencia, Donovan and Dominik, who are hired by the government to stop a terrorist group called the Keimosans from plaguing the land of Sartona. The trio trains rigorously in order to get ready for any possible scenario they might face on their journey leading up to their actual trials against the terror group.
“It will be a book that a lot of kids enjoy,” Colleen’s sister Alyssa Starkey said. “It is filled with action and a lot of cliffhangers that make you want to keep reading it, and it’s just a really good book.”
Colleen began coming up with imaginative stories at a young age involving her stuffed animals before she even learned how to write. This cultivation of creativity has allowed her skills as a writer to expand and become more developed with age.
“It seems to be an outlet for her,” Colleen’s mother Amanda Starkey said. “I think she will just gain an appreciation for literature and what goes into writing a book, and the experience from writing a book itself will help her to become a better writer.”
Inspirations for Colleen’s book include the Hunger Games and Divergent series which both involve young protagonists making a stand against utopian authorities. Her novel is a similar style to these stories with the same basic concepts and ideas, but it includes various other aspects specific to her thought process.
“I like writing because I can be alone and have fun at the same time,” Colleen said. “I don’t really know how it’s going to flow together yet, but I’m excited to keep working on it.”
Colleen wants to become a computer programmer when she is older, but she is also considering becoming a freelance writer. In her future, she expects to use her writing skills in whatever occupation she follows, and writing a novel will certainly help to solidify those skills.
“I think it’s possible that she will involve herself in an occupation where she writes for a living,” Amanda Starkey said. “I know she has other interests, but I think whatever she does, writing will somehow work into that.”
