The Intro

My name is Molly Laughlin and I am many things.

I am an overthinker, an oversharer, and a lover of moments that make you feel something.

I am the friend that will make sure everyone gets their butts out on the dance floor on a night out,

and also the one who will sit down on your living room couch and ask for your thoughts on the meaning of life and the pursuit of truth.

I am messy and I can’t cook. I say it’s because I never want to be “domesticated,” but truthfully it probably boils down to laziness.

I am a procrastinator and sometimes it’s hard for me to sit down and do important things when there are so many fun things I could be doing. I lack discipline. I love adventure. I am a slave to a good time.

Like every other 20 year old girl on the internet, I love travel and music and taking pictures. I might even go as far as saying that I am passionate about these things.

One thing I know I am passionate about is people.

For better or for worse, more than anything, I crave connection with my fellow humans.

I love the stories that are unique to each person.

I love it when people are willing to share their stories.

I think this is why I love writing.

Writing is an inherent part of my identity.

Before I could write on my own, I would tell my mom stories verbally and she would write them down for me.

I entered my first writing contest when I was 8 years old. I didn’t win, but the author who was judging the contest wrote me a letter encouraging me to keep writing. I still have the letter.

I have countless notebooks filled with chapter books that I wrote in middle school, about spies and mythical creatures and imagined teenage romance.

As I got older, writing became a lifeline for me.

I no longer wrote about fantasy worlds, but instead I began to write about my own very real one. High school provides plenty of good content.

Writing has always helped me make sense of the world. It gives me a sense of comfort and control knowing that no matter what curveballs life throws, I get to be the one who narrates my own stories.

And, for the first time, I want to begin sharing some of those stories.

I think that vulnerability is underrated.

In today’s world, there are so many walls up all the time.

Our perception of people is often too shallow, influenced solely by images on a screen.

This is my small contribution to transparency,

A frightening step towards honest vulnerability.

An attempt to make you feel something.

My name is Molly Laughlin and I am many things.

I am a writer, and mostly this space is a place where I intend to become a better one.

But along the way, I hope you learn more about me. I hope my stories connect us.

I hope they encourage you to narrate and share your own stories,

Because ultimately, these stories are all we have.