Teen Writer, Caroline Wei writes her first book “the Amnesia Experiment”

Student Unit
Sep 3, 2020
4 min read

By Ada Wang

On August 10th, Caroline Wei announced on Instagram (@carolinelwei) her newly published book. The story line features a post-modern retelling of a beloved, classic story, Cinderella, with a sci-fi/ dystopian twist.

“The world has been fractured by World War III, leaving the major continents uninhabitable. In Niveus, the only country with real land, a morbid experiment is being executed. Inside the Cube are two hundred men, women, and children with total memory loss who must undergo five mysterious and critically dangerous Trials. One of these is Alle, who must fight to survive while trying to escape an enemy she doesn't remember. Meanwhile, everyone she is trying to protect—including a handsome teammate—is at risk. The cards on the table include murder, palace intrigue, a pair of glass slippers, and power matches between the seen and unseen.”

As with everything, this writing journey had a beginning, and we were fortunate enough to have the opportunity to interview Caroline. Caroline’s interest in writing grew with her newfound passion for reading in 2nd grade, initiated through her teacher’s expansive classroom library. Through time, her love for reading spurred a love for writing, and she spent much of her childhood writing books like mysteries and sketching out comic books. Writing in her free time significantly improved her writing skills (as the saying goes, practice makes perfect), but Caroline credited a large amount of writing growth to reading. She said, “If you want to be a good writer, I think reading is where you learn the most. I mean if you think about it, that’s like the published approved work, the best work of authors out there, everything is really refined, and it’s out there for you!”.

The inspiration drawn from book plots, settings, characters, style, and so much more were valuable components in creating the Amnesia Experiment. After reading Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine, Caroline was able to draw from Ella’s struggles throughout the plot of the Cinderella retelling. The visual imagery with text and the way Tahereh Mafi pushed the boundaries and rules in writing within the Shatter Me series contributed towards Caroline’s writing style and experimentation with the shapes of text in her novel. Kiera Cass’s world-building of the settings and how she merged fantasy and modern world in The Selection series also influenced Caroline’s writing. Perhaps the most substantial influence of them all was the Maze Runner by James Dashner. Not only did this book serve as an influence on the plot of the series, but this book also caused Caroline to become interested in sitting down and writing the newly formed idea in her head.

Starting in 2018 (Caroline’s freshman year of high school), she began by outlining the plot and her characters’ traits. After finishing the first draft, Caroline took a little break from the novel and resumed working on it here and there, throughout her 10th-grade year. Over winter break, Sophomore year (2019), she had a lot more free time which she devoted to the novel. The book made great progress during the extended spring break, where due to Covid-19, people had to self-isolate and school became online. With this time, Caroline went through many writing drafts as she also sent out the manuscript for her novel to teachers and friends. They were able to provide some edits and insight from an outsider’s perspective, and soon enough, the final draft was complete!

Caroline self-published her book through Amazon’s company, Create Space, where she submitted the manuscript and cover for approval. For the stunning cover art, Caroline hired a professional graphic designer from an online hiring service (Fiverr) to create the cover on the finished book. Of course, the book is currently ready to purchase, and it is currently available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. It’s a print on demand program, so it is convenient for both parties. Caroline received loads of positive feedback (a 4.5-star rating on Amazon), and a lot of her friends and family have supported the book. We highly recommend supporting Caroline’s writing journey and take a look at what she has created!

As for the future of Caroline’s career, she hopes to become a writer or publisher. She says, “I do want to go into the publishing industry, I think books are really important to our society and that’s what I want to do”. While she self-published the Amnesia Experiment, Caroline also hopes to publish through the traditional method as well. She has an idea in mind for a future novel and a collection of poems, as poetry is another one of her passions.

To new writers or writers interested in publishing their own book, Caroline recommends to just “Please go for it and write the story”, start writing, and don’t hold back. “The hardest barrier (for writers) is bridging the gap between your mind to create a tangible object”. She also recommends continuing to read to develop a theme or style, as studying or consuming books or other media allows you to gain insight into new perspectives. So, “Just start writing and of course please keep reading!”

“What’s one thing you want people to take away from this book”

“for this first [book] what love is” - Caroline Wei

For Caroline, Love was one of her favorite things to explore in writing the novel. With relationships and emotions, love is complicated and can play out in different ways; love can mean forgiveness, and it was a overall fundamental theme for Caroline.

Once again, we would like to thank Caroline for letting us interview her and being such an angel throughout the entire process of our first blog post! We would also like to congratulate her on her new book, which Amy and I both enjoyed thoroughly; we wish you the best Caroline!

Purchase her book here: https://www.amazon.com/Amnesia-Experiment-Young-Adult-Dystopian-ebook/dp/B08FHMWRTS

Connect with her on Instagram: @carolinelwei

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