How I Became a Writer (and Why Your Story Matters Too)
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
I often wonder about other writers and how they began to write. Were they encouraged at a young age or later told to get a “real job?” Did they spend hours tucked in their beds reading novels? Were they drawn to poetry, comics, Scooby-Doo books (like my son), or maybe fables and myths?
All writers have their writing journey story. I think we forget how those early years formed our love for writing. Do we appreciate the consistency and perseverance to take pen to paper (figuratively speaking) in the face of a vast void where we have no idea if anyone even cares what we write?
Even after years of writing and publishing, I had not yet written my own writing journey, to see it there in front of me, to appreciate all the threads that contributed to the writer I am.
I’m not famous. I’m just someone who tells stories. Here’s mine.
Seeking My Place of Belonging
In the tapestry of my life, threads of my Colombian heritage and American upbringing weave together. I stand as a storyteller, a guide through the domains of personal development, spirituality, and wisdom.
From a young age, I felt a spiritual longing amplified by my family’s strong faith.
The stories my parents told me of our culture, filled with dancing and joy as well as tragedy and hardship, guided my steps even as I stood on the periphery, a quiet observer in a world that often felt foreign to me. In our family, dreams were prophetic and important. Sensing was as natural as thinking. Intuition mattered more than knowledge. Imagination was the doorway to freedom. However, we lived in the United States, where results and being practical mattered more than simple joys and mystical realms.
As a child, books were how I explored the world without leaving home. I found solace in poetry, whose rhythm and rhyme soothed my apprehension of feeling like an outsider. My imagination was limitless, and my curiosity about the natural world was insatiable. As I began to record my dreams and observations, I began to connect with a deeper understanding of the human condition and my place in this world.
During and after college, travel became my escape, and I began to document new feelings from experiencing other cultures and ways of life that felt more aligned with my nature. Yet, despite my innate creativity and curiosity, I followed the path laid out by convention, navigating the corridors of the business world while my heart yearned for deeper truths waiting to be unearthed. It wasn’t long before I began actively seeking mentors and guides and exploring the inner spaces of my mind and heart.
After years of devastating losses, an intolerance for conventional living and societal expectations began to grow within me. Through the ebb and flow of relationships and experiences, I discovered the power of resilience and self-love, a journey marked by quiet rebellion against those who sought to silence the voice of my spirit.
After facing several dark nights of the soul, I began to recognize the courage that I had not known existed within me. Gradually, I made intentional but difficult decisions to change my life, forging a path toward healing and wholeness.
Nature has always been my sanctuary, a sacred teacher whose wisdom spoke to my soul. My church was the forest, and my confessions were spoken in the winds over the ocean. In Nature, I found solace and inspiration and the fundamental principles that drive my life and writing: first, the interconnectedness of all things through a sacred life force energy, and second, that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. I choose to live by the ocean, where I most feel the pull of consciousness reflected in the depths of her waters, in the ebb and flow of her tides, and in her calm and stormy moods.
My life is a constant dance of duality, a delicate balance of light and shadow, power and surrender. In life’s paradox lies the possibility for harmony and healing and the essence of what it means to be human. As a storyteller, I weave tales of resilience and redemption, inviting others to embrace their own journey of self-discovery and healing. Through the power of self-forgiveness and self-love, we unlock the doors to our limitless potential. With intuition and empathy, I guide others toward lives of meaning and purpose, honoring the divine spark that resides within us all.
Well, that’s my journey, my story. When I published my memoir, The Shaman’s Wife, which had been many years in the making, I began to review my life. How did I get there, and from that place, how did I put it all into words?
How about you?
Have you reflected on your story and how you got to where you are as a writer? If you’re not a writer, are you an artist? Whoever you are, whatever you do, you have been on a journey and followed signposts that led to where you are today.
So, let me ask you, what’s your story?
Are you an aspiring author with a story to tell but unsure of how to start or where to go next?
UNWRITTEN JOURNEYS IS FOR YOU
Maybe you've begun writing, only to find yourself struggling with doubt, stuck in negative self-talk, or questioning if anyone would care to read your words. Imagine if you could find a place dedicated to nurturing your writing mindset—a space designed not for craft or technique, but for the courage, clarity, and confidence to hear your story and let it unfold.
Unwritten Journeys is a transformative writing mindset retreat designed for new and aspiring authors who need space, quiet, and community. Held in the serene beauty of the Algarve, this retreat offers time to pause, reflect, and reconnect with your vision, far from daily distractions.
