The Mutual Friend

Feedback/Backstory

Hey, guys. After I complete every story I write, I like to get some feedback on how to improve the story if I decide to go back and edit or just to know what I could improve on in my writing. The key here is to give constructive criticism, not troll. If you think something is stupid, tell me why it's stupid, not just that it is. I'll appreciate it very much if everyone gave me their opinions in a mature and respectable way. Thank you.

Feedback:

What part of this book caught your attention the most (cover, blurb, tags, title etc.)? Why?

What made you keep reading this book? Why?

Did you like the main characters Jax and Estella? Why or why not?

Who was your favorite character? Why?

Who was your least favorite character? Why?

What was your favorite scene of the story? Why?

What were some things you liked about this story? Why?

What were some things you disliked about this story? Why?

On a scale from 1-10, what would you rate this story? Why?

Backstory:

I first got the idea for this story late high school, and the original idea was really different. Jax was rich in that one, his name was just Jax, not Iago, and he wasn't Hispanic. Jax's character as a whole was really different. Oliver was Jax's best friend who moved away, and he wasn't really in the story much while Jax and Brice's friendship just developed at the beginning of the story instead of them being friends before.

Sadaf was Hispanic and called Marcela, and Ximena's character was really timid, and her name was Cheyenne. Brice was initially supposed to be biracial, too. Estella and Jax actually had a secret affair behind Brice's back in the original outline, but I decided to change that. Even the plot of the story was different with different events happening.

I've been writing this story since August 2016, but I stopped, losing drive and motivation, and started reposting it on Wattpad August of 2018. It's been quite a journey, and I'm so glad I've completed this story. At the same time, it's always bittersweet because I'll miss the characters. Brice's character really grew on me, and I was always intrigued by Sabrina's character. At the same time, Jax holds a special place in my heart. I love his character arc.

I got the idea for this story after I read somewhere that a lot of people meet their partners through mutual friends. My mind started to wonder what would happen if the mutual friend also had feelings for one person in the couple. I was volunteering at a lab, and there wasn't much for me to do, so I just started creating the story in my head, developing the characters and creating the plot. I don't know how so much changed, but I'm okay with it.

The original outline was a lot more light-hearted, not dealing with a lot of the darker themes like manslaughter, alcoholism and mental illness. Jax's character also has a lot more depth in this version, and Estella's character was a lot more juvenile in the beginning of this draft than she was in the outline. However, that also allowed her to have a character arc, which she didn't have much of when I first outlined this.

A big theme in all of my stories is impermanence. There are a lot of transitional periods and things changed throughout the story. Brice and Estella didn't end up together. Jax's relationships with Ximena and Sabrina ended. However, all of those relationships held significance. That's a big thing for me—accepting that things come and go. But you can still enjoy them while they exist. They still have value.

Even Jax and Estella's relationship is uncertain. They're in high school, and anything could happen. But it doesn't matter if they end up together, get married and live happily ever after or if they break up and leave each other's life for good. This story still deserves to be told, and Jax and Estella's relationship still has meaning.

The hardest part about finishing a story is saying goodbye to the characters and only knowing about what happens in their lives in the story. This story didn't last forever, but it was fun while it did, and that's what matters. This story will always have a special place in my heart, even if it only represents a small time period that ran it's course. Regardless, I hope you guys enjoyed this journey with me and these characters.

Thanks for reading guys.

-October Silver