Teen Ink is one of my addictions, a pretty strong one I might add. I joined Teen Ink a little over two months ago. I remember the day very vividly. I was sitting on my bed searching through the Internet when I recalled a conversation I had with a friend. We were discussing our C.V.s, and she introduced the topic of how she was a member of a literary magazine for teenagers known as Teen Ink. As a total math and science nerd, I never thought I would join Teen Ink until that night when I decided to look it up. I texted my friend and asked her for the name of the magazine, and she replied, “Teen Ink.” I searched for the website, and when I found it, I decided to try it out and become a member. As soon as I logged on, I submitted my first writing, “Sacrifice.” It was a short story that I worked on for school for about two weeks. I genuinely enjoyed composing “Sacrifice,” but I never thought I would be posting it anywhere. I remember waiting for a few days for the Teen Ink editors to approve it, and when it finally went up, I was surprisingly ecstatic. Although I was aware that many might not see it, I was still excited that my work could be visible to many others. Later in the day, I received another email stating that my short story had been rated Number One for the day. Although this might not have been huge to some, I was ebullient.  Since that day, I check Teen Ink everyday to read other articles and find inspiration for new stories.
One day while on Teen Ink, I noticed link labeled “Forums.” I clicked on it, and discovered Teen Ink Forums, and then appeared my first source of addiction. Within the Forums, I saw a link for Collaboration Stories. Collaboration sounded like a good idea, so I opened it up and searched for a story to continue. I found some and started writing. It’s unbelievable how many ideas flow out of my head when I am trying to continue someone’s story. I also started my own stories for others to continue, and ever since, I have loved creating stories with other Teen Ink members. I feel so happy when I get replies from people who expand on my stories and create new plot lines or add plot twists. I love to watch my characters develop throughout the collaboration—when a character who I assumed would be a criminal suddenly becomes a sympathetic, passionate character. Although sometimes the story may not progress with the plot I expected, the new plot is usually very appealing. Overall, Collaboration Stories delineate my attachment.
Along with Collaboration Stories, another source of my addiction is Teen Ink Chat. I’ve always noticed the Teen Ink Chat box in the bottom right corner, but I was a little skeptical about it at first. However, one evening, I opened up the chat to see what it was, but I did not immediately start chatting. First, I observed other conversations and examined them for anything suspicious and then realized that the conversations seemed pretty normal, so I entered one. That moment, my level of addiction skyrocketed. I started chatting every day, meeting new people and learning new characteristics about others around the world. I discovered people who share the same likings as I do. I found others who swim and others of the same nationality. I made new friends that I never thought I would meet. The feelings I get from being on Teen Ink are unexplainable. I never thought I would enjoy writing, but Teen Ink has motivated me to write more. I am grateful for the creation of Teen Ink.