By Sydney Simpson – Editor-in-Chief 

This month, Mr. Healy’s Creative Writing class has been producing unique short stories to display their creativity. Senior Eliana Taylor is one of these students, and her story “One Step Forward” is the thrilling tale of a high school senior who has just gotten out of rehab and thinks she has lost her chance to get into Brown University and fulfill her dream of going there with her sister. The story illustrates Tara’s inner thoughts and feelings as she returns home, and places a strong emphasis on the internal struggles she is facing. Advocate Editor-in-Chief Sydney Simpson interviewed Taylor about her riveting short story. 

Sydney Simpson: What was your process in developing the plot of this story?

Eliana Taylor: I had six days to write this story, so every day I just tried to write as much as possible before the deadline. I wrote the ending first actually for this one and based the rest of my story on how I wanted it to end. 

SS: Were there any works or people who inspired you in writing this story?

ET: I was basing the story off of two sisters. Because I have five siblings and four sisters, I knew how to write an argument between sisters very well. 

SS: Why did you choose the genre of realistic fiction?

ET: I chose this genre because I know it well. I am a high school student with college application deadlines and other stuff going on. I have seen people be affected by bad influences as well and it is a common problem for many high schoolers. 

SS: What is the underlying message you want to communicate to the audience who reads your short story?

ET: The underlying message is to look behind what “problematic” people may look like. There is an entire story that they have to tell but many people ignore due to their mistakes. People choose to reduce someone to their mistakes and worst moments, without looking at what may have driven them there. 

SS: Who is your target audience?

ET: My targeted audience is teenagers, specifically in high school.