Everyone has a story to tell. Here’s mine.
My storytelling journey began when I truly learned that people each have stories of their own, and those stories can differ greatly from my own. I knew all of that theoretically, but it became real to me in high school when a friend poured out to me about her struggle with depression. I’d had no idea, and I don’t think I said a word other than “I’m sorry.” At the time, I thought my lack of words meant I had failed her, but when she thanked me a few days later for just listening, it changed how I lived my life.
I began listening, not just to my friends’ stories, but to others’. I had always been a reader, but now I read less for the plot and more for the characters. The same went for TV shows and movies—give me character arcs or give me death! I listened to TED talks about experiences foreign to me, from mental illness to escaping cults to synesthesia. I needed to know what made people tick and what made them unique, and once I understood them, I wanted to help tell those stories!
Throughout my life, I’ve learned the importance of relationship and empathy, of nurturing others and allowing them to do the same for me. I endeavor to apply these lessons in my writing, providing my readers not only with thrilling quests to make the world a better place, but also with characters who struggle, fall, and rise. I hope through my work you will be reminded that you are not alone on this journey, and that if you press forward you will become who you’re made to be.
