I've been writing a novel for eighteen years – that's long enough for the book to legally drink alcohol in Australia.
Normally, when a twelve-year-old has a nightmare, she (or he) would find some way to calm down and get back to sleep. I decided to write it down. The nightmare kept recurring over several nights with slight variations and I couldn't stop thinking about them, even during the day. I started to turn my dreams into a story. A terrible one full of cliches, but nevertheless my first novel.
I even submitted it to a publisher, age 12. One of the staff at the publishing house was kind enough to send me a refusal letter, giving me feedback as to why my book was not suitable for publication at that time.
Eighteen years later, my nightmares have changed, as have I. The little 30-page manuscript I submitted has grown more than I have, into a story that will be posted in full on Wattpad – Nightmares of Caitlin Lockyer. I update it with new chapters every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, until the book is complete.
Now, for those who'd like a little more background, the hospital where Caitlin's story begins does exist. I took a camera there to take photos one Saturday morning:
