I love telling teen stories where the characters are

When Stephanie Savage declared, “I love telling teen stories where the characters are experiencing things for the first time—the stakes feel really high,” she unveiled a truth that resonates across ages and cultures: the years of youth are sacred, not because they are simple, but because they are lived at the height of intensity. The first love, the first betrayal, the first triumph, the first loss—these are not small in the eyes of the young. They are monumental, shaping the soul forever. Savage’s words capture the eternal drama of adolescence, when every experience feels like the edge of the world, and every choice feels like destiny.

The origin of her reflection lies in her role as a storyteller of youth, weaving narratives that honor the urgency of the teen years. To adults, the trials of teenagers may seem trivial: a failed romance, an argument with a friend, the pressures of belonging. But Savage reminds us that within those moments the stakes feel as high as war or politics. To dismiss them is to forget what it is to be young. By writing with reverence for the first time experiences of her characters, she restores dignity to the journey of growing up, showing that the hearts of the young beat as fiercely as any king or conqueror’s.

This truth is not confined to fiction. History, too, shows us the power of youthful beginnings. Consider Alexander Hamilton, still in his teens when he penned fiery essays that set the stage for revolution. Or Joan of Arc, scarcely more than a girl when she led armies into battle, every step a leap of faith into the unknown. For them, as for all youth, the stakes of first choices were immense—not because they knew how the story would end, but because they felt the weight of each decision as though the world itself hung upon it.

Savage’s words also remind us of the universal gift of first times. They are rare treasures, never repeated in the same way again. The first time you fall in love, the first time you taste freedom, the first time you glimpse the fragility of life—these moments are engraved into memory like inscriptions upon stone. They shape the path that follows, guiding us long after the fire of their immediacy has cooled. To tell stories of these moments is to capture the very essence of what it means to be alive: to feel, to risk, to dream as if the world were both brand new and endlessly perilous.

The deeper meaning of her reflection is that the stakes of youth teach us courage. For when the heart believes it has everything to lose, it learns to fight with everything it has. Teenagers, though often dismissed as reckless or naïve, live with a courage adults sometimes forget: the courage to confess love, to stand up to authority, to dream wildly, to believe in the impossible. Savage sees this courage not as folly, but as the heartbeat of human growth, the energy that propels us from innocence into maturity.

The lesson, then, is clear: do not belittle the struggles of youth, and do not forget your own. The drama of the young is real, for it is the forge in which identity is made. To the young, take heart that your experiences matter, that your risks are shaping you into who you are meant to be. To the old, recall the fire of your own first times, and let them remind you of the passion that still sleeps within you. To dismiss the stakes of adolescence is to dismiss the very energy of life itself.

Practical wisdom follows. If you are young, lean into your first experiences—love deeply, risk boldly, and learn with openness, for these moments will not come again in the same way. If you are older, listen with compassion to the voices of the young, and do not minimize their battles. Encourage them, guide them, but above all, honor the intensity of what they feel. And for storytellers, let Savage’s wisdom be a reminder: to capture the teen experience truthfully is to touch the universal pulse of humanity.

Thus, Stephanie Savage’s words rise as a teaching for all: that the first times of youth are sacred, and the stakes of adolescence are never small. They are the fire that shapes destiny, the storms that carve character, the dawn that gives meaning to the rest of life. Pass this wisdom on: cherish the first times, for in them lies the essence of courage, the awakening of the soul, and the reminder that life itself is always worth the risk.