What may seem like work to one, is fun to the other. That’s not to put it lightly: senior Maggie Dominiak has always enjoyed reading and writing as a very avid hobby, however it hasn’t been until recently that she can consider writing “work.” Dominak was recently the recipient of an internship with Golden Bell Studios, which has been the beginning of her journey to becoming published.

“When I was little I had always read books, from Goodnight Moon to Percy Jackson. One day I just thought, “I want to write my own stories.” Yes, I liked reading what other authors crafted, but there is a certain satisfaction in creating your own stories, worlds, characters, to call your own,” she said. “I created my first story around fourth grade.  And that’s when I knew, that writing was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.”

During Dominiak’s freshman year at Bishop Noll, she and a few other students were approached by the then Honors English teacher, Mrs. Carolyn McGuire about founding a club based on the students’ love for writing. Originally the Writing Club was exclusively just three members, but it’s sophomore year, it was opened to include the whole school, with Dominiak at the head as president of the club.

“My involvement [in Writing Club] has only made my interest grow. Seeing kids learning how to write and show such ripe imagination reminds of who I am. I still am that kid trying to learn how to write, I’m just lucky to have a publisher who has acknowledged me. But the students at Noll all have the potential to become writers, or whatever career they wish to pursue. The writing club has only made me want to work harder and write even more, if that is at all possible.”

Dominak’s career as a writer has expanded, especially over this past summer which became a turning point for her and her writing.

“For years now I’ve gone to conventions in Chicago for books or comics. Over the summer at C2E2, I noticed a booth for a company called Golden Bell Studios. They are a young company; the founders in their twenties, but I found myself sparking up a conversation with them. I showed them the story I’m most proud of writing, and they told me that they’d offer me an internship,” she said. “Over about a month and a half we kept in contact and sorted out the details of paperwork and what exactly I would be doing working for them.”  

Since then, Dominiak has been working diligently on her first book to be published. She could not share too much about the book because it has to be kept under wraps for now, she did share that there are hopes that her novel will be out by this time next year.

“What I can tell you is that my first novel is for the for middle schoolers. It’s aimed to be shorter, mostly to get a piece of my writing out there as quick as possible and work on a project that doesn’t necessarily require the same amount of work as an epic or horror novel; I plan to be a horror writer for adults,” she said.

Despite facing the challenge of balancing school work with her novel, Dominiak has been resilient in staying focused.

“My plan is to get my novel out by next year around this time, so doing homework and novel work is challenging. It’s possible, just takes time management,” she said. “The main obstacle on receiving the internship was my parents signing off on the paperwork. They were reluctant because they don’t want me to get myself hurt/setback. But they personally met with my parents and we have set conditions until l turn 18, which I will have a publishing contract and am allowed to do as I please without parent consent.”

Regardless of these obstacles, she tries to continue to see writing as the hobby she’s always loved.

“Writing to me is exhilarating. It’s everything and nothing all at once. But when you need to focus on a project like a novel, it requires you to calm down and hone in on your skills,” Dominiak said. “Physically you need to create an outline, I do something called beat sheets to set up my story. Create character profiles, maps, just write down notes randomly. I have lots of feedback coming in from my publishers/editors every time I add a new section to my book. It’s not just one person contributing, but many. Though the ideas are mainly mine, I always adjust based off of critique. Mentally you really need to have a tough skin. If someone doesn’t like what you’ve written, seek to understand why. Don’t give up, just push through and write something that people will find provocative and fantastical.”

For those who wish to become authors, Dominiak has this to say: “Never give up. Yes, it’s a hard field of work. You have a lot of rejection. You WILL fail.  But you will also succeed, and that’s what counts. I am extremely grateful for getting this opportunity as early as I did, not all people are this fortunate. But whenever you do have a huge opportunity presented, take it. Run with it. Explore all the possibilities. And most importantly, write for yourself first, and for others second. Yes, being a writer is being vulnerable because the world will read your thoughts and ideas, but do not write to please the world. Please yourself first, those who recognize how talented you are will spread your words like wildfire. And the rest will take care of itself.”