Slow Down. Enjoy the Present.

Hello, all! ^^ It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to post these few days, but as I dug through the Archives of Unfinished/Abandoned Blog Posts of this blog, I found this blog post. And I do think it’s high time I finally finished this blog post. So pull up a chair, grab a mug of tea (or orange juice! And yes, I do drink orange juice in a mug), and enjoy these ramblings from a scribe. 🙂

Through these past two years of writing, I have learned quite a few things about myself. Far more than a few. That is the beauty of writing, for me. And one of those things that I am ambitious. Very ambitious. I do have some rather wild dreams and am absolutely set on chasing them, I won’t lie.

And yes, ambition is a good thing. It pushed us. Shoves us up that steep, steep hill that lies in the way of our journey. Keeps us going. Pushes us to reach higher. To reach for our dreams.

But a little earlier this season, I’ve had a realization.

Sometimes my ambition drowns out the present.

I have countless wild goals. Some of which shall never happen, but I hope for them to someday. Win an award. Become a bestseller. Become a famous children’s author.

And more and more grand ideas of the future.

But these past few months, I’ve realized that I have a tendency to live with my eyes basically fixed on the future. With my mind focusing on where I want to be someday, who I want to become, and all those said grand ideas of the future. So much so that I just forget to remember where I am right now.

The stories i’m writing now. The messy, yet beautiful part of writing the first draft of my new WIP. The friends I have right now. The wonderful people I know now.

There are two YouTube videos that brought this to mind. First, an author interview with Shannon Messenger, author of Keeper of the Lost Cities, where she said to beginning writers to enjoy the writing process. Publishing can come later. But right now, just focus on the writing process. Because the truth is, once you publish, writing won’t feel quite the same. It is no longer just you and your story. You also have inner critics in your mind: your editor, your readers, the trolls. And to enjoy your writing journey where you are now.

And the second, a YouTube short from a Christian YouTuber. I’m a Christian, and while you may not be, what he said was that while you may feel like you are behind in your life, you are not. You are exactly where you need to be. God already knows everything ahead of you. He sees what you cannot see. He has already prepared the way. You may desperately be wishing to become a bestselling author, with a fandom and heading to book signings and all. And you may be desperatley asking, “When? When will this finally happen? When will all my prayers be answered?”

And what that YouTuber said was truly what I needed to hear during that moment.

And it was, “When you’re ready.”

Because what good is the right thing at the wrong time? What good is a blessing if you just simply aren’t ready for it yet?

You may not be a Christian. But even then, I think it’s still so important to remember this. Because, really, if I actually think about it: Am I really ready to become a bestselling author right now? As famous as Shannon Messenger or Tui T. Sutherland?

While I don’t know if I’ll ever be a bestselling author, the truthful answer to that question is no. No, I am most certainly not ready for that. If I were to blow up and become some TikTok sensation, my first reaction would, I kid you not, to vanish off the face of the internet and hide under the bed.

I’ve heard people say that you won’t realize the good days till they’re gone.

I myself have found this to be true. Because only this past year, I did find myself wishing for where/when I was back in the summer of 2023. A ten-year-old girl, with the crazy idea of finishing this novel. A ten-year-old girl who didn’t have to deal with perfectionism or any more of these complicated issues.

These late night writing sessions, where I’m just chipping away at a first draft, with this whole new world to explore. Those rainy afternoons filled with binge-reading The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion and wondering if I’d ever be daring enough to write fiction in that style. The sheer victory I feel after powering through a truly dreadful to work with chapter.

I may not be a bestselling author. But this is what I have right now, in this moment. As someone once said, “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift — that’s why it’s called the present.”

And so I suppose those are my thoughts for the day. 🙂 Do let me know down in the comments what you thought of this post and if there’s anything you’ve learned in your writing journey that you’d like to share! I love hearing from y’all!

Till next time,

-Isabelle