She’s petite and her green eyes widen with excitement as she speaks. Her favourite book, The Guest of War by Kit Pearson, is full of sticky notes. Maybe Pearson’s book influenced her, seeing as 19-year-old St. Thomas University student Kelti Goudie has written more than 60 short stories and two novels.
“I write to get my emotions out. It is freeing in a sense that you can say what you want, but still say it creatively. Whoever you’re writing to can interpret it however he wants. So, it is kind of open at both ends,” she said.
It all began after she finished a certain book series six years ago. The ending disappointed Goudie, so she decided to rewrite it.
Many of her short stories are fan-fiction, which she publishes in online forums. She also posts some plots there to get them out of her head. She knows that many fan-fiction stories resemble each other, but she said it’s the characters and scenes that make a story.
“Trust your gut. If you think you have a plot, just go with it,” she said.
When Goudie started writing novels, she knew exactly what she wanted. Although she struggled with her “inner editor” (the urge to correct everything), she finished Happy Deathday in a month. The murder-mystery follows a 16-year-old rebellious girl who goes missing on her birthday.
Her second novel, Chosen, took her three years to finalize. The supernatural story is about four teenagers who discover their individual powers and have to work together to save the world.
“I have a dark imagination. Those kind of things come naturally to me, so I write about them. I write darkly, because I think it is the way I get out my anger and my violence, I guess. It is just an outlet. It is weird; most people don’t get that with me, because I’m such a cheerful person or they think I am. But actually, I’m a very bitter person as far as my imagination goes.”
Goudie said some of her main characters die or go through dramatic experiences. And she said it’s often hard to convince people her stories are made up, because some readers always think the events in the story happened to Goudie in real life.
“I’m, for the most part, a pretty normal teenager…There is always someone who tells you, ‘You can’t write.’ But everybody can write, they just write differently.”
She hopes her readers are able to connect with her stories and characters. She also hopes her stories help those going through rough times, realizing there is always a way out to find humour and peace.
Goudie said writing feels right. It is what she was supposed to be doing.
“I’m proud of my work. It just feels good to know that someday my work will be out there…One of my goals is to see my title on a bookshelf. Then I can freak out.”
