Birch and Lawrence **OLD**

Looking Back About Two and a Half Years Later...

So, this was the first legitimate story I wrote and completed, and coming back to it, I have to say that I absolutely hate it. I wrote the first version of this story (Mississippi Grey Boys) in the spring of 2014, and it wasn't great. Then, I revised it to where it is now. It's better than it was before, but it's still not so good. Birch and Lawrence are both total Gary Stues. (believe me, I took this test http://www.springhole.net/writing/marysue.htm and it came back saying that they were definitely Gary Stues.) 

Let's talk about what had sparked me to write this story: None other than Romeo & Juliet. It was freshman year of high school, and we had just finished reading it in English class. I had liked the theme of a forbidden love, so I coined up a story of forbidden love that would be as forbidden as possible - an interracial romance between two gay kids in 1930's Mississippi. And because I was inspired by a Shakespearean play, I coined up a Shakespearean ending (Birch going mad because of the loss of his love).

Have you ever seen that meme on Facebook? I think it was a SomeEcard that said "Romeo & Juliet isn't a love story, it's a story of a three day relationship that caused six deaths," or something like that. But don't get me wrong, I do listen to both sides of the argument. Check out this Nostalgia Critic video where he defends the play.

Note the part where he talked about how because their love was forbidden, they tried to tell themselves how in love they were even further. And I see that, but the problem was - it was young love, and it was still feigned love. And, just like Birch and Lawrence, Romeo and Juliet fell in love at first sight. Remember what Garnet said; "Love at first sight doesn't exist. True love takes time, and true love takes work. And you at least have to know the other person."

Not to mention Birch and Lawrence pretty much had a perfect relationship. (well, except for the fact that they weren't allowed to love one another) They never got into fights, never had any opposing opinions or personality traits, they loved every little thing about each other (the little they knew about each other) and not to mention how Birch was pretty much able to have pleasant sex with Lawrence despite having been raped a few hours earlier. It's pretty fricking insulting. (and the part where he was sick was entirely filler, by the way. I'll admit that. Apologies to any emetophobes who weren't expecting it.)

So overall, I highly dislike this story. I will say that it's not the worst story in the world, it's pacing wasn't all that bad and it was well written with hardly any grammatical errors and no random "lol XD" author's notes shoehorned it (oh yes, I'm looking at you, Irresistible. Just because you have millions of reads doesn't make you good.) But don't freak out, I'm not going to delete this story. I see that it's made lots of people happy, and that's fine. It's good they can enjoy something that I can't. And for me, it's a symbol of how much I've been improving. 

So what am I up to nowadays? Well, I've been dying to get back into reading, however the only books I own are my mom's sappy historical romance novels. (like I said, I don't do romance anymore) I'm trying to find a good coming of age story to sink my nose into, so if you know a good one either on this site or anywhere else, let me know.

Crafting has been a strong passion of mine, as well. I've taken up making doll clothes and other miniature stuff, and the day I get rid of my slow-as-molasses 7-year-old laptop, I'll get back to digital drawing. 

But what about my writing? Am I still doing that? The answer is a big yes. As a matter of fact, I want to become an author, and I'm working on a novella right now. It's called The Monarch, and it's about a bold young woman who hunts down the ruthless dictator of a dystopian Earth. I really want to share it with you, should I? Leave a comment!

Also, you're probably wondering why I changed my name from Deadofnight98 to BloodyRhododendron. This was my name when I first came to Wattpad, and it's my name on other platforms, including my Youtube and Deviantart. I changed it briefly in case my family stumbled upon my DA and found my Wattpad as well, looked at the mature story that is Birch and Lawrence, and threw a fit (ha ha). Now that I'm 18, I don't think they'll care very much. Just wanted to make that clear.

Anyway, life for me is good, and I'm glad you read my work. I hope you have a pleasant 2017, and I hope you support me in whichever path I take. 

Love you!

-BloodyRhododendron