Novel Novice Feature: Want & To Write Love on Her Arms

We’re continuing our release week celebration for Want by Stephanie Lawton, a contributor here at Novel Novice and now a debut novelist. For today’s feature, Stephanie stops by to tell us about the organization To Write Love on Her Arms, and how it connects to her novel, Want:

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*WARNING — the following post contains mild spoilers*

There’s no way to get around it — Want is a heavy book that explores issues most of us shy away from, issues like domestic abuse, mental illness, eating disorders, depression and self-harm.

The main character, 17-year-old Juli, has a tough home life that causes her to seek relief in some not-so-healthy ways. If anyone ever needed a Dr. Drew intervention, it’s her.

In real life, there’s an organization that focuses on teens and young adults dealing with these issues. It’s called To Write Love on Her Arms (TWLOHA for short) and was founded in 2006 by a group of friends who watched as their drug-addicted friend was denied entry into a recovery facility. They began selling T-shirts to pay for that friend’s treatment.

Now they have expanded to other issues that commonly affect teens and young adults. Here’s their mission statement:

To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury and suicide. TWLOHA exists to encourage, inform, inspire and also to invest directly into treatment and recovery.

Sound familiar?

While TWLOHA isn’t a “helpline” nor are they trained medical professionals, they can hook you up with the right resources. They help high schools spread a message of hope and recovery through “The Storytellers” campaign, which includes educational events and fundraisers for their charitable activities. There are also university chapters.

Here’s where you can find them: