I've been writing on AFF for about 3 school years, and it's really interesting to see how I've matured and evolved as a person while writing. 

My earliest stories, which were written when I was 14, focused solely on romance. The main motive driving the plots of my stories and the actions of my characters was the romantic relationship between the main characters. All other characters served to either further that relationship or to make the story more realistic (for example, it's a school setting, so you need to throw in a few names). 

At the time, I was writing because I was bored and desperate for romance of any kind. I wanted a hot boyfriend, I wanted to go on dates, I wanted to be in love. I was so obsessed with boys.

But as high school passed, I slowly started to realize that romance and boys are completely trivial, and what matters the most is a) my own ambitions and goals in life, and b) the details of my life that I once considered trivial. What makes our lives special is the relationships we have with others, the friends we make, the fights we have with our parents, the bad grades and weird events and dreams we have. That's life.

For example, what makes a romantic relationship with a person complete isn't just the cute things you do with him; it's the way your friends squeal after they discover you two finally got together, after you'd been drooling over him for months; it's the way you surreptitiously text him under the table at dinner while your mother rambles on about a story at work; it's the way you struggle to balance your work and own goals with the effort it takes to keep a boyfriend. 

Slowly, I started to think less and less about love. My crushes slowly faded away, and after committing several blunders regarding the guys I liked and the stupid things I did to try to get over them, I realized that I've been trying to live my life to be some kind of perfect girl who's "girlfriend material". The appeal of playing around with boys, toying with their feelings- practices that had enthralled me- slowly faded away to reveal the true selfish, desperate nature at its roots. 

I can safely say that for the first time in years, I am not looking for a boyfriend or a cute relationship.

Instead, am looking to be the most independent person I can be.

As a result, writing has changed for me. Before, I could think of 5 plots for romance stories off the top of my head. Now, I have no interest in writing romance stories. My stories have slowly started fleshing out all of its characters more. Giving them interests, pet peeves, quirks, hopes, dreams, aspirations. 

I am more interested in the characters than in their emotional dependence on others.

I am more interested in them, as individuals. Not them, as the protagonist's ex-girlfriend. 

My latest story is only a few chapters away from completion, and I do not know what I am going to write next. I have ideas, yes- but I have no interest in making romance the main element of these stories.

We'll see what happens.