You wake up in a room. You have no memories. The walls, ceiling, and floor are completely blank. You don't remember where you came from, nor do you have any memories of your life, but you can remember your name.......wait a second. This is some seriously stereotypical second-person bullshit isn't it? Wait, it can't be that unoriginal can it? Let's see: mysterious room, no memories, remembers your name. Ok, yeah this is literally how every other second person story begins, this needs to be shaken up a little. Works better for the narrative anyway.

Your name is Jordan Smith. You are eighteen and just finished your first day of being graduated from high school. You were born and raised in the small mid-western town of whatever state/city you feel the most connected with so as to make you feel more a part of the story. You know, so that it seem like this is your story despite it being written to a random reader of whom I have no affiliation with, and quite possibly many different people with different histories and personalities. Anyway, back to the story. Throughout your entire high school career, people asked you what you wanted to do with your life and you never had an answer for them. Your mother had always worried that you would fall into the same trap that your father, who divorced from your mother when you were eleven years old the day after your birthday. Since your divorced mother Clarice, who was a fan of country music that you always hated......see isn't this boring? How are you supposed to be filled in on every detail about your life so that you understand how to emotionally react to these kinds of situations? It's either fill you in on pages of exposition so that you know who you are, or spend time on a story where you're confused why you're doing things you know you wouldn't do, and can't seem to find that reason for the motivation to do it.

What was that you asked? Why does any of this matter? Well first of all, trying to include answers to questions you probably didn't ask in the first place is a very clumsy and unoriginal way to try and make you feel more involved in the story. Seriously though, what are the odds that you actually asked that question at the exact same time that I said that you asked it? I'm sure it's worked once, but all the other times it's just awkwardly trying to put words in the reader's mouth. Secondly, it matters because if you don't feel connected with the story, you'll feel uncomfortably locked in a place you don't want to be. And do you don't want that do you? I didn't think so. (Thank god you said no. Had you answered yes, that would have been very strange to read)

You are driving down the street, when all of a sudden you see your crush, Alex. For the entirety of the last year you had been watching him/her go in and out of relationships always far too scared to ask her/him if they would be your boyfriend/girlfriend/non binary relationship companion. (Wouldn't want to assume your sexual preference, would I? What would take you out of the story entirely).

You muster all the courage you could possibly find and decide that at this point you have nothing left to lose. You drive up to Alex and roll down the window.

"'Sup dude. How's it hangin'?" you say. Of course, your speech patterns have to be assumed. It's a fine line to walk, how you should sound. If you speak too generally, the character you are expected to portray sounds boring and stilted. If you sound unique or interesting, odds are it's the wrong kind of unique and interesting. You know, maybe you should just assume that you speak in real life the way that you are portrayed in the piece, that would make everything easier for me.

"Remember my cool cat that ya liked before it died?" Oh, right. You don't know about your cat yet. More history that you can't understand the story without. You know what, this isn't working. You will never understand your own character without the history. It's impossible for you to fully appreciate anything that has been laid before you unless....you know what? I'm just going to start over.

You wake up in a room. You have no memories.