While most seniors are focused on graduation or college decisions, one high school senior is celebrating something else. Caitlyn Nguyen is finally seeing her name printed on the cover of her very own book, “Fated Farewell,” a story about connection and two high schoolers falling in love due to unexpected circumstance. What started as journal entries during a difficult time in her life just turned into a self-published novel, released after she turned 18.

Finding her voice again

Nguyen’s writing journey began years earlier. She states, “My 8th grade year, I was in yearbook, so I went on to be nationally recognized for my yearbook writing.” She later submitted parts of her yearbook that soon got state recognition, and she won a CSMA’s Middle School Journalist of the Year award and a Theme Package Writing award. 

When she entered high school, something changed. She wasn’t writing, which left her feeling empty. At that time, she was struggling with her mental health and looking for a creative escape. Journalism became that, and soon after, she realized her private thoughts could become something. She mentions, “Everything I journaled about I was like ‘Oh, that could be a great book.’ ”

Nguyen started to see two sides of herself, which she turned into characters. “While I was writing the book I was going through some pretty heavy depression so of course they naturally encapsulate that. Silas is one who doesn’t really see the light on the other side. Life is hard and not worth living for, to him at least. Suki, though, has a lot of hope that her future will be better than the past. She continues pushing onwards to hopefully see those sunny days.” 

With no plan or publishing contract in mind, Nguyen simply started opening her phone notes and began writing.

Overcoming doubts and deadlines

Teen writers often face challenges that go beyond grammar and plot twists. For Nguyen, it was writer’s block. “Writer’s block is really hard for me because it is always like I am at the end of this one scene and there is supposed to be a one-sentence transition, and I have to force myself to write it.” She continues, “It can take weeks for me to be like ‘okay, let’s write one sentence.’ ”

Her solution was to keep going even when her writing felt imperfect. “I would just open a doc on my phone and be like, let’s just write something. If it’s really bad, I can change it later.” She adds, “I basically forced myself to keep writing.”

Balancing school and responsibilities during the year while finishing a manuscript was not easy. Along with other young authors, Nguyen had to learn time management and self-discipline throughout her writing journey. Instead of waiting for a traditional publishing deal, she chose to self-publish through Amazon. “The publishing process was actually really easy. All you have to do is upload the PDFs (for cover and the actual content) and then choose a bunch of drop down options. It was really easy to navigate on my own!” 

Navigating the process:

Nguyen’s first draft wasn’t perfect. She describes, “I misspelled my character’s names a bunch of times.”  Rather than completely rewriting the story, she decided to focus on editing the grammar, spelling, and chapter headings while keeping the plot the same. When a friend offered to design the cover, everything finally felt real. Holding the copy in her hands was unforgettable.

“It was really surreal,” Nguyen explains. “It felt like a combination of everything I have been waiting for.” The moment reminded her of receiving her 8th-grade yearbook. She notes, “All of this work has led up to this moment where it is physical, and we all can hold it.” 

Despite her success, this isn’t Nguyen’s full time career; she still shows her passion for other pursuits through current projects, including a Capstone book she hopes to publish before graduation.

“As for the capstone book, which is titled Ikanaide, I’m actually pushing for a publication at the end of this month, or at least before graduation” Nguyen explains. 

She adds, “Right now I’m reading through my personal copy for mistakes in the grammar as well as some printing tests for some handwritten features in it. It should be out very very soon though!”

For young writers, she believes her journey offers important lessons: write constantly, don’t rush to publish before you are ready, and embrace your unique perspective. In her eyes, being young is not a weakness; it’s a strength.

As she prepares to walk across the graduation stage, she will carry more than a diploma. Nguyen will carry proof that sometimes all it takes to succeed is opening a document and deciding to begin.