Cynthia chewed on her already too-short nails as she stared at her computer screen at her desk. Writing for herself and her best friend was one thing, but sharing her inner most thoughts with the rest of the world was another beast entirely.

What if they hated what she wrote? What if no one even read it? There were thousands of stories on Write Now, it had to be nearly impossible to get recognized on a site that big.

So then what was she worried about? If no one read it, then they couldn't hate it, and it would be like she was still writing for just Kourtney and herself. Why couldn't she just finish signing up for that stupid account?

"Are you going to stare at the page all day, or are you finally going take a deep breath and dive on in, Cyn?" Kourtney raised her eyebrows from the reading nook in Cynthia's bedroom window.

"I'll do it. I just ... need to come up with a good username."

Yeah, that was the only thing holding her back. The username.

"Well, then let me help." Kourtney waved her hand in the air as she mulled over countless options Cynthia knew were rolling around in her best friend's mind.

"How about MindMelder? One word, or maybe with an underscore between the two?"

Cynthia shook her head. "How does that have anything to do with what I write?"

"Okay, then how about Castles_Hero? Because, you know, you like to write fantasy and stuff. Like, the hero that comes in to save the kingdom and shit."

"I don't know. It just doesn't have the right ring to it." Cynthia continued to chew on her nails.

"Nothing will have the right ring to it, because you're too scared to even do it. Come on Cyn, you have to put yourself out there. Don't you want to become a better writer?"

"I do! And that's not it, I just ... I need time to think of the perfect name. I'll probably come up with something tonight. I always do my best thinking at night."

Kourtney rolled her eyes. "You're such a night owl."

Cynthia looked up from her screen, her eyes lit up. "That's it."

"What?" Kourtney's brows furrowed.

"NightOwl. That's the username. I mean, I do most of my writing at night."

"Oh my glob, you're right. You are NightOwl. Yes! Do it, do it now before someone else takes it!"

Cynthia typed the letters in, one word, and hit the sign up button. She was officially a Write Now user.

"Now what," Cynthia asked.

"Uh, you write, silly. Put up something that you've already written, or try something new. Use this time to explore and grow. You're an author now."

Cynthia shook her head. "I'm not an author."

"You're a writer for now, but as soon as you write that first chapter, and you publish it for the world to see, then you are officially an author." Kourtney crossed her arms.

"I don't think that makes me an author."

"Sure it does, an author, by definition, is a writer of a book, article, or report. You write your story, share it with the Write Now community, and you are an author. Nowhere in the definition does it say that you have to have your works published by a traditional publishing house or other avenue. You wrote it, you're an author. Now, stop arguing, and get writing. I need to get home. I'll make a Write Now account and follow the magnificent NightOwl. I expect to see something within the next couple days. I know where you live." Kourtney narrowed her eyes before hopping off her seat. "Love ya, babe. I will see you at school tomorrow."

"Thanks, Kourt. I'll see you tomorrow. And thank you for pushing me."

"Anything for my fabulous darling. I expect to get the first signed copy when you become a famous author because of this site." She smiled and gave Cynthia a wink.

"If that ever happens, you have a deal."

"I'll hold you to it. See you tomorrow, Cyn."

Cynthia waved to her friend and turned back to the computer screen.

Something new. She could use the platform to experiment, try new genres. She had always been the fantasy kind of girl, but maybe she could try romance, or suspense, maybe even teen fiction. There were endless possibilities, an outlet for her to really discover who she was as a writer, and potentially, an endless number of people who could help her improve her craft. She just had to find the words and start writing.

*******

And so, that was chapter one of NightOwl. Let me know what you think so far in the comments below. Remember to click that little star to give the chapter a vote if you enjoyed it. Thank you!!