Life Lessons From A Socially Inept Teen: Cath Avery

I’m in love with the novel Fangirl -- no lie I’ve read the book seven times and am, at this moment, heading for eight -- written by the forever striving Rainbow Rowell.  Every time I open up the book, I feel more and more connected to the characters.  If I was to somehow magically insert myself in a book, it would no doubt be this one.  Cath Avery is an introvert and would rather stay in her dorm writing Simon and Baz fanfic than attend some lame frat party.  With teenage years being some of the most awkward and confusing, I’ve grasped a thing or two (or five) from the infamous Magicath.

Meeting new people is terrifying, but the coolest thing ever
Sometimes people seem weird, intimidating, or in Cath’s case unattainable.  But, once you get around to giving someone a chance...it can completely pay off.  These people, the ones you didn’t care to be around in the first place, can become some of the most important in your life.  Go figure.  I’m sure it seems ridiculous and almost surreal, but look, Cath thought Levi was her roommates unreachable, hyperactive ‘boyfriend’ and she ends up with the swooning boy.  So, there's that.

Great things can rise from taking risks, academically and personally
Sometimes, we can feel trapped within ourselves.  A teacher tells us to write something -- so we do -- but we do it safely.  We never break out of our usual, even if it's under our potential.  Cath was like that.  She wrote fan fiction;  Simon and Baz were carved into all the words she spewed out.  She could manipulate the World of Mages so many ways and although it marveled, she could do so much more.  When she finally sat down and wrote her 10,000 word story for Fiction Writing Class, the piece she created ended up winning the most honorable award a freshman could receive.   And it wasn't even fan fiction.  When you step out of your comfort zone barrier, you take a risk.  Push yourself out of the bubble you’ve generated, whether it's in school or just your life.

Writing fanfiction is totally OK
It’s considered to be one (of the many) actions in a young teen’s life that will -- completely and utterly -- drop you down on that social scale.  My apologies if you thought it would do the opposite.  Let me tell you something:  writing and repurposing something you care a heck of a lot about is really, really cool.  There’s a time where Cath wears a shirt with her oh-so-famous Simon and Baz fanfic “Carry On” printed on the front  She runs into one (of the many) readers of her fic, but the girl has no idea that Cath is the author.  Just hearing that one person talk about how much she appreciated the story and how thought it was even better than the actual books, encouraged Cath immensely.  Knowing someone wants you to keep writing is almost euphoric.  You can borrow something that's not yours:  a movie, a book, a TV show.  It's not strange at all to move around the characters, the setting, the story line, the untold mysteries and make them your own.  Actually, it’s pretty amazing.  There's no reason to not write about something you love, so go for it, man.

Growing up doesn’t mean having everything together
It means figuring out how to get it that way.  As we get older we feel like we have to have our minds set about everything, but that's not the case.  Cath had felt her sister was becoming distant when they left for college because Wren was all put together, and Cath was not.  She wasn't even sure what exactly she wanted to be.  As Cath’s freshman year progresses, every little piece begins to fall into place and her life seems eased.  All it can take is some time to settle your scrambled thoughts to really see all the potential.  After you've done that, go buy yourself some ice cream.  You deserve it.

Age doesn’t define maturity
We think that those that are older are wiser and those that are younger are immature.  I've never seen that as an accurate statement.  Cath was full of maturity.  She helped her mentally ill father when he needed it most, she handled seeing Levi kiss another girl the day after their kiss quite maturely, and she made sure everything/one important to her always got put first.  She was eighteen, and stocked full of thoughts, ideas and actions that we’d usually associate with adults.  So don't let anyone tell you you're an immature child because your age shouldn't define you.  Punch anyone who tells you that.  Now that I'm thinking...probably don't punch them.  I don't want to have to deal with liability issues.  Just tell them your mind is a beautiful thing, and then ask them “Well, doesn't it make you immature assuming that?”  Add in some dramatic hand gestures and boom, now you’re winning.