As I write this, I’m just sitting here, staring in amazement, and even tearing up as I realize how far I’ve come. It’s been two years since I penned the first words that would eventually lead to a beautiful, strong, brave book series of fantasy, magic, and hope. Two years since that ten year old girl named Wendy (I hadn’t chosen my pen name yet. And yep, my name is Wendy. My real one.) looked her father right in the eye and said, ‘I’m going to write a book.’ And to my great surprise… I did.
When I first sat down to write, I had no idea if I could ever finish my book, much less become a published author with readers! But I did. And the adventure I took to get there was… everything beyond my wildest dreams. It’s been two years. I’m 12 years old now, have gathered a large amount of writing wisdom, and I actually cried in my room this evening.
From what, I don’t know. I guess it was sort of a mix of sadness, happiness, and pure dreams because I couldn’t believe that I’d get here.
I guess it proves all you need is a dream and a whole lot of dedication.
Over these two years… I’ve had the most amazing adventure of my life. Sure I didn’t get to ride an alicorn or battle deadly monsters like in books and movies, but it was a different kind of adventure. One that would take me somewhere beyond my wildest dreams.
I wrote and kept writing, even when I wanted to give up, and now, here I am. Through writing, I’ve found myself. I’ve learned what I’m most afraid of, how I face it, and what I really want to do. And that, I believe, is more important than any review I’ve gotten or any book award that I could ever get (no, I did NOT win any book awards for your information. YET. I still have my eye on the Newbery… ;D).
In those two years, I wrote my own story, I found myself, and I found out who I really was and what I’m meant to do. And undoubtedly, that’s to write.
I can’t believe I’ve come so far. And I know I’ve been repeating this, but it’s true. NEVER would ten-year-old me have thought I’d actually get here, having writing buddies, readers, people who actually like my books, and being an actual published author.
I have to thank a lot of you for this. Lillian Sims, thank you so much for sticking with me through NaNoWriMo. Never would’ve made it without you. Leah Larkspur, thank you for all the writing sprints and welcoming me into your cozy little writing community and for enjoying my books. Courtney Denelsbeck, thank you for being my ARC reader and choosing to accompany me here on this journey. Lola G, thank you for your kind words in your book review. It means a lot to me (and I’m sure it does to Arabella and Rani too. ;D). Gail Carson Levine, thank you for writing Ella Enchanted and inspiring me to read and write. You made me realize the magic of writing just when I needed it. All the creators of My Little Pony, thank you for inspiring me to dream and helping me realize that friendship really is magic and that all we need in the dark is a little spark of hope.
I never would’ve made this journey without you all! It’s honestly kind of sad to see the year slipping away, but at the same time, I have a ton more plans for 2025!!! And so without further ado, here are my goals for the following year!
- Write three books
- Publish three books
- Finish book four of Enchantria
- Finish book one of my new series!
- Get the paperbacks out for Enchantria
- TRY hardcovers (but not sure yet)
- Make new friends
- Learn to play the ukelele
- Post weekly on my YouTube channel
So yeah, those are my 2025 goals!!! Thank you guys so much for coming, and an even bigger thank for those you who’ve stuck around the blog for this year! I never would’ve made this without you. Thanks for coming, and I’ll see you in the next post!
Isabelle
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