This story started on the 6th of January 2019, when a Wattpad friend was stressing over a novella summary on a public announcement. So for that, I have lepus_leporis to thank for.

Next, it was thanks to the Wattpad Ambassadors and volunteers of the Open Novella Contest that the prompt for this story existed. Without such a prompt, the old man's story would have never been told.

I also have my parents and friends to be grateful for. My parents, for letting me wake up at a ludicrously early time to finish up this novella after a month of procrastinating, and my friends (both on Wattpad and not) for being there to encourage me and be a shoulder to stress upon.

Finally, thank you to my dear readers. I don't know what I would have done without every one of you.

Eye of Saffiyah deals with some pretty dark topics, which I thought would have never happened, considering how new I am to Wattpad. But I guess it just came. Please tell me if something that I've written felt off or wrong to you; although I did my research, I'm not an expert. I think it's important to address such issues, because everyone will experience some sort of mental illness, or just a really dark period in your life--whether it be depression, anxiety, loneliness, thoughts of suicide, or something else. I also know that in this book, the old man's problems might have been 'resolved' (I don't know a more appropriate word) a little too quickly, but it's not always like that. It takes time. Even Najm is always going to be haunted by his memories from time to time. But I think that's important to find something that works, someone or something that can help you be in a better place. See, 'getting help' can be misinterpreting. For me, getting help isn't always just opening up to someone. You might not be comfortable with that just yet. And that's okay. But try doing something that you like. Make time for your hobbies. And (for me, at least, I'm not an expert by any means so please don't take this at face value!) I think, that way, you'll be able to feel that sense of release. Whether it's releasing your emotions by writing, talking to a therapist, singing, or something else--everyone is different. But just know that you have options. And as cliche as it sounds, there is light at the end of the tunnel. It'll take a lot to get out of there. It won't be easy. But it'll take everything not to.

Most of the challenges that arose from this experience (besides from the time crunch) was nailing down the narrator's voice and actually forming a coherent and interesting story. I chose to write in first person since having the narrator's voice right up and there was super important; so much more could be understood through a character's eyes within a shorter amount of chapters. However, the old man's character was very different from myself--making it a challenge to form each sentence while staying in his character and preventing awkward wording (both which I'm sure happened). As for forming a coherent story, I always have the trouble of tying the loose ends together. This one ended up as a gigantic exposition dump. It's the least enjoyable part of writing for me. But hey, it's also satisfying to write that last sentence. I'll most likely take Eye of Saffiyah down at one point to edit the whole thing. Once my writing skills have leveled up from amateur, that is.

Anyway, a LOT of this was inspired by Throne of Glass, as well as some other works. Hopefully I didn't accidentally plagerize anything.

If you're still reading this, thank you SO much for sticking by. It really means a lot--and I cannot stress that enough. Your votes, comments and words of encouragement are the reasons I keep writing. 

Thanks again for following Najm through his story. I hope you liked it. Catch you later.

With love,
JadeFoliage