Scotty Williams is the nerdiest 17-year-old at Havensdale College - and proud of it. However being a nerd can have its downsides, particularly when you're constantly being targeted by the school bully Taylor Raven and his cronies. As Scotty tries to...
Hey everyone! My name is Becky, I am a 37-year-old YA author from Portsmouth, UK, and just over a decade ago, I made a Wattpad account and began to write my first full-length original story titled Reasons To Love A Nerd Like Me.
At the time, I was in my mid-twenties, working a day job in retail, and trying to get my aspiring songwriting career off the ground. Unfortunately, despite how much I was putting into making my dreams come true, the music industry was tough. It felt like 1 step forward, 2 steps back most of the time, and I was beginning to get a little de-motivated.
This is why I wanted to try something completely different. Why not write a book? Just for fun? Just for me? I loved reading and I loved writing lyrics. I'd also dabbled in fanfiction in the past, and a few of my stories had even gained a decent readership. Maybe I could evolve my skills into writing something brand new and original?
I wanted to do something creative with zero pressure attached. I wanted to enjoy myself again. So I didn't worry about being a novel-writing novice. I didn't listen to the snarky voice in my head telling me I couldn't possibly finish an entire novel. I just opened up a new Word document and I wrote.
Scotty came to me instantly. He was right there when I needed him the most.
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(Fanart by the amazing AquaFlox!)
I'd grown up reading gay romance manga and fanfiction such as Gravitation and Junjou Romantica. It was something I was really drawn to as a teenager. These stories became a sort of escape for me, and because of this, it seemed obvious that my original novel should have a gay male lead. A guy who wasn't your typical, perfect leading man. A guy who was real.
Scotty was like a gender-swapped avatar for me in some ways. He really reflected my own thoughts and feelings about school. I had always hated it and felt like I never fit into the ecosystem. However, I'd always had my own tribe, my own versions of Olive and the Dungeon Adventure crew, who had my back no matter what.
Scotty might have been a nerd, but he wasn't a victim. He didn't dislike himself. He didn't feel ashamed of who he was in any way. It was so important to me to show that in his character. And I think that's why so many people fell in love with him as much as I did.
When I first posted Nerd, it didn't get much traction. I had no real plan beside a vague beginning, middle and end. I didn't know what any of the characters were going to say or do. I just wrote them. I played. I had fun. Even though I had no idea if anyone was reading or not. I didn't let it deter me. I kept writing.
Then, a few chapters in, I got a comment. It said something along the lines of "This is good, you should keep going with this."
I remember staring at that comment, reading it over and over. And I know this probably sounds woo-woo, but I thought... This feels like a sign. This feels like the start of a journey. I am going to look back on this moment one day and see it as the very first step to something exciting.
