Journey to Writing: My Story

Tahirah Kolbe
Dec 30, 2020
2 min read

I guess I wrote my first short story when I was around seven years old, but instead of literally writing it down I verbally said it out loud.

What seven year old writes a full-fledged story?

But I went through years of wanting to be different things before coming to the realisation of wanting to become an author, such as a hairdresser (a typical dream as a young girl if you ask me) or a psychologist.

Once I turned thirteen there was this phase of Photography. I was fascinated by everything it had to offer, like the beautiful views that came out on those photos and just the feeling of holding a camera. I honestly believed at that moment that a Photographer was what I wanted to be.

Whenever we did speeches at school about what we wanted to be one day, I would mention that a Photographer was what I wanted to become. I still wrote small stories and poetry for fun but it hadn't really dawned on me until I turned sixteen.

That's when I rediscovered my passion for writing.

Picture above: Tahirah, in October 2018.

2018: WHEN THE JOURNEY REALLY BEGUN

I had created my first Wattpad account in 2015, when I was only thirteen years old, but like I said it was all just fun and games for me. My Wattpad stories only really started gaining more attention towards the end of 2017 when I began writing more fanfiction.

I think it was at that moment when I realised that maybe writing is what I was destined to do one day, and I've been told by many that I'm great at what I do.

Point is, I love to inspire other young people through my writing, and the messages that my writing carries. Which is why despite my happy, yet energetic character that I tend to portray, I choose to write about topics that might come across as heart wrenching and upsetting to others. But the only valid reason that I choose to write about such topics is because it tends to speak to thousands of people that can relate to it.

I want people to learn something from my writing.

DON'T TOUCH ME: 2021

I've been working on this project for almost three and a half years now, and I'm finally so happy that I can put all my ideas into this one novel that I know will speak to the hearts of thousands of people.

"Don't Touch Me" if I'm briefly going to describe it, is about a young teenage girl, just shy of 18 years old that has recently gotten into a relationship with a boy who she strongly believes is the one for her. Until a series of things go wrong in their relationship, and she finally comes face to face with his true character. He's an emotional manipulator who disregards the girl's feelings, and hides a dark past that he claims no-one will ever come to know of.

Imagine your emotions being so heavily taken advantaged of, and you were groomed into thinking that this person does love you despite the awful things they says about you. Is that not a toxic relationship? What would you do if you were her?