12 Stories Of Self-Discovery That Will Inspire You To Find Your Own Voice

As we hop on from one phase of life to another, we keep learning new things about ourselves. Life surprises us, changes us and makes us ready for whatever comes our way. However, if you are someone who feels stuck often, there are stories that can instil a new beam of hope and positivity.

To take you to this world of optimism and hope, here are twelve stories that you must read.

These stories aren't just stories but they will make you believe in the power of love, hope, and faith. Read on.

1. If I fall

If I fall

"Living in New York you learn to keep up with the quick pace of the city, myself included. I was never the one to stop and smell the roses, but that was until I met her on that dull September afternoon. Her eyes were light and dark at the same time as if a devil and an angel lived inside of her. Time itself had stopped, and since that day everything had changed, ever since I had crossed paths with Drew Wilder."

Read the story here.

2. What The Eyes Don't See

What The Eyes Don't See

Anay Ghosh has the perfect life-his career is booming, he has a new apartment, and he has reconnected with his boyhood crush who is now the love of his life. When it seems like nothing can go wrong with his charmed life, he is faced with a terrifying reality: there's an evil shadow cast on his life, of a man whom everyone else can see but him.

Read the story here.

3. Baking With Boys

Baking With Boys

Spring. It's the season to love, share, and find happiness. But for Tyler? Not really. To her, it's just another long boring holiday season going back home. What she didn't expect is for her mother to rent out their house for the break. And to none other than her school's swimming team. Suddenly Tyler finds herself surrounded by four, hot and gorgeous, forever half-naked guys and she can't help but think that this year her spring break would suck. Or not.

Read the magical story right here.

4. Silently Falling

Silently Falling

She's the aftermath of a high school party nightmare. Tragedy robbed her of her innocence and stole her voice before she had the chance to speak out. The court called her a liar, and the guilty was set free. Now memories plague her mind and trap her in solitude. She was forced to learn sign language, struggling to find a way to voice her silence.

He's the definition of the boy she tried to stay away from. The epitome of harsh rumours and hopeless fantasies. The source of lies and blame. He's analyzed, misunderstood, and utterly mysterious. And he may be the one to find her voice.

Read the story here.

5. Did You Get Your Period

Did You Get Your Period

Shweta is a spunky eighteen-year-old with a mind of her own and a sassy mouth to match. She's got her own views about her life. Only it doesn't often bode well for her. She's done the unforgivable deed and lost her virginity to a boy who isn't even her boyfriend. Yet. If that wasn't enough, her period's gone missing. What happens when Shweta tells her mother the truth? Join Shweta as she tries to brush off slut-shaming, keep her head high and try to find a place for herself in the judgy, conservative world.

Read the story here.

6. Whistleblower

Whistleblower

When student journalist Laurel Cates uncovers a shocking story about her university¡¯s beloved, championship-winning football coach, it takes all of her courage to publish her discovery in the school¡¯s paper. The immediate backlash was to be expected, but nowhere are the repercussions stronger than in Laurel¡¯s everyday life as she can¡¯t seem to avoid Bodie St. James, the star quarterback, whose own career now hangs on the brink.

Read the story here.

7. Abhaya Bhairavi

Abhaya Bhairavi

After surviving an accident that claimed the lives of her beloved parents, Bhairavi has forsaken her voice, her relationship, even her laughter. Barely does her grief become bearable when strange things begin to happen? As her powers become stronger, her perception of reality begins to unravel. But when it becomes evident that there is something fishy regarding the accident she miraculously survived, Bhairavi takes matters into her own hands. A fresh, modern take on Hindu mythology. If you think talking lions, friendly demons, and the power to make sexual offenders painfully ejaculate uncontrollably, sounds cool, then this is the book for you!

Read the story here.

8. RED: A Dark Retelling Of Red Riding Hood

RED: A Dark Retelling Of Red Riding Hood

In a dark and deep land lives young Marjorie, a woman desperate for something more than her conventional life in her tiny village, Core. She aches for something dangerous, something like the dark forest, Mirkwood, which borders her home. Yet, there is a curse that haunts her people: a Wolf. For the last eighteen years, he takes one innocent life. Fate seems to change at the hands of Vivian, a warden who promises Core a safe passage through Mirkwood. For a moment, Marjorie has everything she has ever wanted: An escape from a fate set in stone... until the Wolf set its dark intentions on her. Now, she is forced to decide: Will she defeat the Wolf, or will she willingly be devoured?

Read the story here.

9. March City: Land Of The Gifted

March City: Land Of The Gifted

THE MATRIX meets THE HUNGER GAMES. Ari is a high-flying but lazy energy manipulator who gets by doing the minimum in the technologically advanced March City, where academic achievements and abilities determine your true worth. When her sister, Mina, is kidnapped during a series of terrorist bombings, Ari has to defy the law and delve into the dark secrets of the city in a race against time and the city itself - and Mina's life may be her price.

Read the story here.

10. Cloud Nine

Cloud Nine

What if there was no freedom of speech and expression in your world? What if every writing, every art, and all pieces of creation were censored with an iron hand? The defectors disappear without a trace, the free press is gagged and suffocating and the government had no opposition whatsoever. Set in a world of trust and betrayal, Cloud Nine is a 'fluffy' tale of darkness.

Read the story here.

11. Understanding Ansh

Understanding Ansh

Ansh simply can't navigate logic between the coiled grooves of his brain. Sometimes he wishes to be a woman and other times he wishes to transgress boundaries of gender and become a synthesis of all the mistiness he feels inside. Feeling entirely 'man' is the last thing his heart can agree with. Ansh is confused. How does he articulate his feelings to the boy he has come to live with?

Read the story here.

12. Not Another High School Love Story

Not Another High School Love Story

Jonah Pierson is just your average seventeen-year-old kid. He's smart, ruthlessly pragmatic, and he's got a kickass best friend to boot. His life isn't perfect, but with only one year left until graduation, Jonah faces a very serious dilemma when he's volunteered to tutor the school's star quarterback. No amount of fast-talking or quick thinking will save him from this clich¨¦, and when he's already up against a distant father, an overbearing guidance counsellor, and less than helpful peers, can he somehow learn how to get along with the arrogant but hot jock? Whatever he does, Jonah knows one thing for sure--he's in for one hell of a ride before high school's over.

Read the story here.

(This story is a part of #StoryCollective, an Indiatimes and Wattpad initiative to encourage storytelling and provide a platform for this generation to meet in a story.)