What I Wish I Knew When I Was 20 Book Novels & Stories

ADA When I was younger, I used to think if I could live forever I would be able to learn everything there was to learn about life; all its secrets, gems, and hidden wisdom. I would be able to control my emotions at all times and nothing would ever come as a surprise to me. Now, I was twenty-four years old but I knew that no one could say life couldn't shove surprises in their face unless that person didn't know anything about life in the first place.

My professor thought it was absolutely amazing that I'd already been exposed to the media so it would be easier to get the public to be interested in my book. I was in the process of writing the book. It was a very emotional aspect of my life, and I decided to share it with the world. My story is about a girl who grew up in an orphanage, and everyday she'd wait for her parents to come get her, but by the end of the day when no one showed up, she'd be disappointed. Until one day she gave up hope, and so her dreams became all about getting out safely, and trying to forget about her past. It was about my story, only with different characters and names, and knowing that people would be inspired

Yet, this was what she wished for, a desire that differed so greatly from what I would have chosen for us. If only I could go back to Paris, to care for her with the same fierce love she had given me over the years. Instead, here I was in Chicago, facing a heavy load of responsibilities and the isolating silence that came with it. Without Beverly’s steady guidance and wise words, I was confronted with a daunting list of tasks ahead of me. You might think being young, only twenty-six, would come with excitement and newfound freedom, but a painful childhood memory reminded me otherwise—that those we love can disappear in an instant, leaving a gaping emptiness behind. I learned that happiness c

“I’m Hazel. I know I’m new and… younger than expected. Please, ask me anything that’s on your mind. I’d rather clear the air now than have people whispering behind my back.” A tall man with glasses spoke first, hesitant. “Are you really only twenty years old?” I nodded. “Yes. I’m twenty. I’m an orphan — lost my parents when I was young. I put myself through school on scholarships and worked night jobs. I managed to skip a few grades because I learned faster than most. That’s all.”

“You’re amazing. I’m not like you. I never will be, even when I’m your age.” She’s looking at me with such wonder, I can’t help feeling touched, even though she doesn’t have to behave as though I’m such a dinosaur. I mean, I’m only thirty-three, not a hundred. “Of course you will,” I say confidently. “You know, I was like you once. I was quite timid. I had no idea what I would do in life or what my potential was. I was an eighteen-year-old kid, floundering around.” I can feel my All-Purpose Motivational Speech coming on. Do I have time to give it? I glance at my watch. Just about. The short version. “I was lost. Exactly like you feel now. But then I went on my gap year.”

CHAPTER TWO Someone once said your twenties are your selfish years. It's a decade to immerse yourself in every single thing possible. Be selfish with your time, and all the aspects of you. Tinker with shit, travel, explore, love a lot, love a little and never touch the ground. And that's exactly what I am going to do today. Today I turn twenty. The first thing I see when I open my eyes in the morning are two large ballons with twenty written on them and underneath it is a small note. From Ivan, the back says.

"I was twenty once." "I know." "I had no idea what I wanted." "You married Dad when you were twenty-two." "I did. And I loved him. And I still love him. But that does not mean I knew what I wanted. It just means I knew what I wanted in that moment. And that is all any of us can do. Know what we want in this moment. And then the next moment. And then the next." "What if I do not know what I want in this moment." "Then you wait. You pay attention. You try things. You make mistakes. You change your mind. You start over."

I am 24 years-old. I have been writing books since I was 13 years-old. I have wrote 6 books total, but lost 5 to a house fire, and did not have backups. I lost my want to write after losing my first 5 books. It has been 8 years since then. This is my first book I have published. I am a mother of 1 daughter, trying for a second child. I want to make a living as a author, but also become a daycare teacher. I have a cp in earily childcare. My passion is my child. I love and live for my family. They matter more then anything.

Nobody once even checked on me when my mom nearly died of an overdose when I was twelve. I knew I shouldn’t get too attached and that I should be cautious, but things were looking pretty good from an outsider’s perspective. It was all the things I wished I’d had growing up that I never even knew I wanted. I wasn’t sure what it meant, but even with Alec’s weirdness, this place was better than Wolf Creek.

Maybe I had. Life had a way of taking years from you when you weren’t paying attention. At twenty-two, I felt like I had already lived a lifetime only that it wasn’t the kind of life I had imagined. It wasn’t the picture-perfect life that people dream of when they’re young, when they believe the world is full of endless opportunities and a future that’s always just within reach.