Embracing the Right to Write: My Journey

I love Brandon Sanderson. There, I said it. Let’s not pretend I’m some lone wellspring of creativity. I’m not. My stories are rooted in the tales that inspired me—The Epic of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, Sanderson’s Cosmere, and the bits of Arthurian legend I’ve stumbled across. My creativity comes from a deep appreciation of storytelling, blended with a technical mindset and a lifelong passion for reading.

Growing up in a remote area of Africa, my access to books was limited. I devoured whatever I could get my hands on—textbooks, borrowed novels, and even religious texts. My homeschooling curriculum emphasized reading comprehension, and I consumed material far beyond my grade, often borrowing my older brother’s literature and history books just to have something new to read.

Reading wasn’t just a pastime; it was an obsession. By the time I moved back to the U.S. at 14, my reading speed was above 600 words per minute. Once I had access to a local public library, I explored books by their spine art, stumbling into the world of fantasy. Until then, my only real example of fantasy had been Pilgrim’s Progress. Suddenly, I was immersed in well-written magical realms and epic quests. I tracked multiple series and devoured works by the great fantasy authors of the 80s through 00s.

When I was 15, I decided I wanted to be an author. I told my best friend, only to learn he had the same ambition. Many of my peers did too, and we spent hours sharing our ideas. But as I read their work, I felt like an impostor. My friend’s religious fantasy featured vivid characters and even hand-drawn illustrations. I, on the other hand, had little more than the desire of being an author. The realization was humbling—and discouraging.

I pushed the dream aside, deciding instead to focus on practical skills. My teens were spent working as a mechanic and landscaper, and imagining a career in public relations. Writing, it seemed, was a far-off fantasy.

When Twilight came out, it wasn’t just popular—it was inescapable. I read it multiple times, grilled my friends about what they liked, and studied its appeal. At first, I was annoyed. Why did a book with such simple characters and context resonate so deeply with my generation? It was because, hard as it was to admit, Stephanie Meyer excelled at writing internal and interpersonal conflict.

Her success forced me to confront an uncomfortable truth: not all published books are great, or even an author’s best work. I could have been inspired by this, but I told myself that she was lucky and had one good skill, so I was still excused from trying.

My first real breakthrough came in a college history class. We were tasked with writing an essay on the Crusades, with the option to submit a historical fiction piece instead. When the professor said to choose a compelling character, most of the other students chose a European crusader to build their narrative around. Some of the more daring students chose civilians in the major cities during battles. But I- I chose a horse.

The Crusades are a heavy topic. The context was wildly different than what a modern audience experiences. While there were aspects that an audience could relate to, I needed a vehicle that allowed a reader to get close without being put off by the risk. I did not value writing a blood-drenched narrative that mocked the harsh reality that many people lived and I did not ignore the violence, the suffering, or the pain. But the lens of a horse gave me the flexibility to show the people behind the actions without the intensity that a characterization of a person of that time might have felt.

That was the first time I recieved positive feedback on my writing that felt genuine. The professor asked if I had considered being an author, to which I responded: “Everyone wants to be an author.”

But I chose the horse. And that knowledge stuck with me.

Encouraged by that class, I started writing in my downtime. Creative writing classes introduced me to a community of like-minded peers. Though I was never the best writer in the room, I was consistently among the best students. I graduated with a B.A. in English, with a concentration in writing, but being an author still felt like a pipe dream.

Returning to Africa for work as a fleet and site maintenance manager turned out to be pivotal. My technical role required extensive documentation, giving me valuable professional writing experience. In my spare time, I revisited my creative projects and realized many of my stories shared a connected world. This revelation gave me the focus I needed to start compiling them into a cohesive book.

Opportunities to co-author a role-playing adventure module and refine a training manuscript further solidified my writing skills. These experiences gave me the confidence to pursue technical writing, and eventually, I landed full-time roles in the field.

Over the past five years, I’ve written professionally, authoring or co-authoring more than a dozen books (though only one bears my name due to contractual agreements). The technical precision in my own instruction manuals, the dynamic structure I admired in Brandon Sanderson, and the immersive world-building of Tolkien, have deeply influenced my style.

As such, it is my greatest pleasure to be your guide and companion on an adventure we will never forget.

Lessons from My Journey (So far!)

Lean Into Your Strengths
Stephanie Meyer taught me the power of conflict (an area that I am still developing). My technical background helps me approach storytelling with a interconnected structure. Identify what you’re good at and let it shine.
Choose the Horse
Unique lenses make a story memorable, but they also provide opportunities to break out of hard locked narratives. Don’t be afraid to experiment- even if it is just to challenge your own perspective!
Persistence Pays Off
My path wasn’t linear. Every time I thought about how much I had to do to become an author, I was too intimidated. But I kept writing and every experience—from mechanics to technical writing—helped me grow as a storyteller. Do what you can, as you can. It adds up.

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If you’ve ever dreamed of writing, start now. Your voice matters, and there’s an audience waiting for your stories. Share your journey in the comments—what inspired you to write? Let’s inspire each other to keep going.