Holly VanWert

‘After’ by Anna Todd, and How a Newcomer Writer Scored a Book and Movie Deal the DIY Way #AfterSaga

This post was written as part of a sponsored campaign in participation with One2One Network. All opinions are my own.

I always wanted to be a writer. Ever since I was in grade school and began creatively stringing words together, I knew that there was nothing else I wanted to do. I didn’t necessarily have to be the kind of writer who wrote books, although I suspect that at some point in my life that is a goal I will focus on more; I’ve just always known that I wanted to spend my days writing… something.

So you would think that knowing where I eventually wanted to end up at an early age, that I would have also known the path to take in order to eventually get there. Unfortunately for me, the standard path of graduating high school, moving onto an English program at a liberal arts college with a kick ass women’s studies department (my other great passion in life), and penning, eloquent, thought-provoking articles on current events and important issues for a newspaper or magazine was not the path I took. In fact, in my 28 years of life, I can tell you with utmost certainty that the path most commonly traveled to get from point A to point B is never, ever the path I end up taking. That would be too easy, and maybe easy isn’t my thing. What I have discovered to be my thing, however, is independence. Braving the harsh path of my dreams on my own, a solo act working towards a goal with nothing but a wish and a hope that it all works out in the end and that any risk eventually pays off.

Instead of taking the path that was laid out so clearly in front of me like it is for most everyone by society at large, I forged my own by using the technology available to me at the time. This is precisely how I am celebrating my 15th year in the blogging world this year, despite the term “blog” not being commonplace until much later. For me, technology has always provided what the society’s path could not. This technology that so many today take for granted gave me a voice when I needed it most, and it forever has my loyalty for that.

Technology has never stopped providing in its ability to give people a voice. Whether it is a lifeline as it was for me, or merely a hobby to tend to in spare time, the internet and the social world that has emerged within it has only grown more robust, ripe with opportunities to thrive.

A recent example of the amazing opportunities that can arise from sharing your art with like-minded individuals on the internet is Anna Todd, a 25-year-old military wife from Texas.

Todd became a first-time writer when she parlayed her life of reading and the British boy band One Direction and began penning fan fiction under the moniker imaginator1D on Wattpad, a free social reading and writing app. Armed with some free time and her phone, Todd’s fanfic love story swelled to over 2,500 pages that have been viewed by Wattpad users over a billion times! Her story received so much attention and positive feedback by readers that Todd extended her story to other social networks, sharing photos, videos, songs, and reader-created art on Twitter and Instagram.

Anna Todd’s “After” tells the story of Tessa, a good girl with a sweet, reliable boyfriend back home. She’s got direction, ambition, and a mother who’s intent on keeping her that way. But she’s barely moved into her freshman dorm when she runs into Hardin (inspired by One Direction singer Harry Styles).

With his tousled brown hair, cocky British accent, tattoos, and lip ring, Hardin is cute and different from what she’s used to. But he’s also rude — to the point of cruelty, even. For all his attitude, Tessa should hate Hardin. And she does — until she finds herself alone with him in his room. Something about his dark mood grabs her, and when they kiss, it ignites within her a passion she’s never known before.

He’ll call her beautiful, then insist he isn’t the one for her and disappear without a word. Despite the reckless way he treats her, Tessa is compelled to dig deeper and find the real Hardin beneath all his lies. He pushes her away again and again, yet every time she pushes back, he only pulls her in deeper.

Tessa already has the perfect boyfriend. So why is she trying so hard to overcome her own hurt pride and Hardin’s prejudice about nice girls like her? Unless…. could this be love?

The entertainment industry was impressed by the rapid online success of Anna Todd’s “After.” So much so that Todd’s epic One Direction-inspired love story has been turned into a four-book series published by Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster. “After” was released in October 2014; “After We Collided” followed in November, “After We Fell” was released in December, and the last book of the series, “After Ever Happy” will be available February 24, 2015.

Fans of “After” will be thrilled to know that they can see the love story unfold on the big screen, as Paramount Pictures has acquired the film rights to adapt the series that took the social Wattpad community — and the rest of the online world– by storm. We don’t know when we can expect the movie yet, but we’ll be sure to keep you updated with any news!

Can’t wait to delve into the love story of Tessa and Hardin, or “Hessa” as they are affectionately referred to by their fans? You can get your copy of “After” at Barnes & Noble in paperback or on your E-Reader.

You can find Anna Todd on Wattpad as Imaginator1D, as well as on Twitter @Imaginator1Dx, and Instagram at @Imaginator1D.

The post ‘After’ by Anna Todd, and How a Newcomer Writer Scored a Book and Movie Deal the DIY Way #AfterSaga appeared first on Woman Tribune.

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