While many high school students spend their afternoons scrolling through social media or catching up on homework, junior Ryder Lim has been doing something far more ambitious, writing a novel. At just 17 years old, Ryder is preparing to publish his debut book, the result of three years of determination, creativity, and grit. What began as a way to express his ideas quickly grew into a full-length manuscript, and now he is only weeks away from sharing it with the world.
The novel, set in the streets of 1940s New York City, follows four men who have each hit rock bottom in their own way. Brought together by desperation, they attempt to reclaim their lives by staging a daring heist: robbing a horse race controlled by the Italian mob. Lim’s story is packed with historical detail, moral tension, and complex characters. He was inspired to set his book in the past because of the complexity of that era. “It’s about broken people taking one last risk to rewrite their story,” said Lim. “While it is set in the past, many of the themes presented are timeless.”
Ryder’s path from idea to publication has been anything but simple. He began writing when he was 14 and completed his rough draft in early 2024. Since then, he has dedicated himself to revising and refining every page. He has studied grammar, storytelling structure, and historical context, teaching himself many valuable writing skills. Once he was confident in his draft, he sent it to a professional editor for detailed revisions and proofreading. “Once I edited it a few times myself,” I felt ready to send it off for professional feedback,” said Lim.
Lim credits much of his growth to the writers he admires most. Ian Fleming, best known for creating the James Bond character, and Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, have both influenced Lim’s writing style. He is drawn to Fleming’s fast-paced action scenes and Stoker’s use of dialogue. Lim believes studying different authors helped him find his own voice. “There is so much to learn from the way different authors tell stories,” Lim said. “They have really helped me grow as a writer.”
Ryder plans to self-publish his novel on Amazon in late April or early May, and he’s already working on several more books. Though his first novel hasn’t even hit the shelves yet, he is already thinking ahead and skating out new plots. It is rare to find a high school student so dedicated to writing and storytelling, but Lim has a clear vision.
