Quiet Storm and Becoming the Main Character

Have you ever been in a lesson when the teacher asks a question and you’re thinking please don’t pick me, please don’t pick me?

Or have you ever been put with a partner during a science experiment who completely ignores you, does their own thing and then you both end up in trouble? Well, these are the types of struggles that twelve-year-old Storm faces as she starts secondary school.  

The most frequent question that I get from readers is whether Quiet Storm is about me. While Storm and her world are completely fictional, her shyness stems from my own as a child. The feelings Storm felt as she read out loud in class or struggled to ask for help in maths are something that I can relate to. When you’re shy, you often hear comments such as ‘stop being shy’ or ‘why are you so quiet?’ as if it's a bad thing. When you hear these kinds of comments, it makes you believe that you’re not good enough. That you need to change. It took me a while to figure out that I didn’t have to change or become louder to have a voice, I needed to become comfortable in who I was. I don’t want shy children or teenagers to have to wait until they’re older to come to the same conclusion, so I wrote Quiet Storm to show that you don’t have to be the loudest person in the room to have a voice, you only have to be yourself.  

At the beginning of Quiet Storm, Storm is scared to join in, is known because of her popular big brother, hasn’t made any new friends, and she goes along with what other people want to do. That doesn’t sound like a main character, does it? When you think of main characters, you think of characters with confidence and self-belief. Main characters are charismatic and have a strong presence. They have a willingness to take risks and be bold. In order to help Storm become the main character she had to go on a journey. I’m going to share that journey with you, so you can become the main characters of your own lives.  

At the beginning of the story, Storm discovers a brand-new talent – running! She has only ever been in the shadows, and now she is thrust into the spotlight. Her teacher asks her to join the athletics team, which is super scary for Storm. But by doing so, it helps her to build confidence and do things she didn’t think possible!  

Storm’s goal of competing in the athletics championships helps her to feel a sense of accomplishment. She’s trying new things while having fun in the process. By reaching this goal, she feels confident in other areas of her life too.  

Storm doesn’t find her confidence all by herself! Not only does her big brother help, but she also has her athletic teammates and classmates for support. She struggles to confide in people at the start of the story, but she soon realises that once she does share her worries, things become much easier. It was very important for me to write this, as I believe that sharing your problems is so important to help solve them.  

It's easy to quit when things go wrong. When this happens, it’s helpful to remember everything you have achieved thus far. By doing so, you realise that you have already made yourself proud. Storm learns to pick herself up and keep running.  

Storm becomes the main character of her own story not by changing who she is, but by believing in herself. I hope she shows you that you deserve to shine too.  

Read more Bookbuzz author blogs