I was a struggling army wife going to community college who didn't know what to do with my life.

Anna Todd

Categorized in : My Life Life Community Wife

I think I'm lucky, in a way, because with the criticism I get online, it's mostly from really young girls that are fans of One Direction, and they're kind of already known for being mean online. So the things that they insult me with are things that don't really bother me.

direction think me way

There's so much anxiety coming from social media with teenagers that we have to give them characters that are real and that are not always happy; and that have bad parents and not great, supportive parents; and that are not going on these journeys to save the world with a bow.

parents great social-media happy

Every single path is so different, but I would definitely say that the idea of what a writer is or should be is not a thing anymore. Everyone is redefining publishing, writing, and storytelling in general.

say single path writing

I think flawed characters are important, because no one is perfect.

i-think think important perfect

When I was a young girl, I used to dream about what I would be when I grew up. I thought that I wanted to be a nurse, then a teacher, even a pilot at one point.

thought girl dream teacher

Being in a fandom is something you don't understand unless you're in one. I think it stems off of everyone wants more of something.

everyone understand think you

Zayn Malik is responsible for countless smiles, countless laughs; he's saved endless fans' lives.

smiles he responsible fans

'The Giver' by Lois Lowry - I had to read this in school, and I fell in love with it. It was my favorite book as a child, and I read and reread it. I would pretend I lived in that world and that Asher was my best friend.

best love world school

Everyone has an opinion, and it seems that the negative voices can be the loudest, but I chose to focus on the positive comments from readers.

opinion focus positive negative

The idea of being published was such an abstract thing in the beginning. It wasn't even an option in my mind.

beginning being abstract mind

I used to say that if I could get paid to read books, my life would be made.

books my-life say life

I never really had a lot of friends where I lived. Online, you can have thousands of friends.

never where you friends

I'm not writing about the 1 percent of people who have this fairy-tale, amazing life. I'm writing about people like me, who maybe had a rough childhood.

me childhood life people

It's good that I've put out different books apart from 'After' - and before the film comes out.

books good film different

The Internet can help you come out of your shell and gives you a chance to make friends who have the same passion as you, it's a real community.

you friends passion community

For me, One Direction is the only fandom I've been in, and I made so many friends.

direction only me friends

When I realized that I can invest in my own marketing and do exactly what I think needs to be done - well, then it just feels like, what is the benefit of having a publisher?

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I never had any thought behind anything I did in the beginning, to be honest.

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I didn't write a ton before 'After,' to be honest.

after write to-be-honest honest

I found Wattpad because I was reading a story on Instagram, actually. They're called 'Imagines,' and they are like little fanfictions that people used to write on Instagram before Wattpad was the place to go.

story place reading people