Before I started writing Salt & Sand, I honestly didn’t believe I could write a book.
Not really.
Like many people starting something creative for the first time, I carried an enormous amount of self-doubt. I questioned everything. Would anyone like it? Would anyone buy it? Would it resonate with readers? Was I even good enough to call myself a writer?
At times, I felt like I was impersonating an author rather than becoming one.
And if there’s one thing I’ve learned through this process, it’s that self-doubt can destroy creativity before it even has the chance to breathe if you let it.
There were moments I almost gave up entirely. Moments where I convinced myself I didn’t have the vocabulary, the experience, or the talent to create something meaningful. But eventually I realized something important:
You cannot become a writer if you never allow yourself to write.
So I kept going.
One of the most difficult things about writing for me is that stories don’t appear as words first. They appear like movies in my mind. I see the scenery, the emotions, the movement, the expressions on the characters’ faces, and the way scenes unfold. Sometimes I hear dialogue almost as if the characters are speaking directly to me. Translating all of that from imagination onto paper is incredibly challenging because what exists in my head always feels bigger, deeper, and more alive than words alone.
But somehow, little by little, I learned how to do it.
And I’m still learning.
That’s probably the biggest truth behind writing a novel that people don’t talk about enough. Most writers are learning while they create. We are figuring things out chapter by chapter, mistake by mistake, rewrite by rewrite.
Editing alone taught me how much work truly goes into storytelling.
Writing the first draft is one thing.
Rewriting it is another beast entirely.
Editing means rereading the same chapters over and over, adjusting dialogue, fixing pacing issues, checking spelling, refining emotional flow, moving scenes around, rewriting sections that no longer work, and trying to make everything feel cohesive and alive. At times it becomes exhausting because you know the story so well that your eyes almost stop seeing it clearly anymore.
There were versions of Salt & Sand that looked completely different from the version readers will eventually experience now. Entire scenes changed. Character dynamics evolved. Emotional arcs deepened. Some moments were rewritten multiple times before they finally felt right.
It was stressful.
Time-consuming.
Emotionally draining.
But it was also worth it.
Because every rewrite taught me something new.
Balancing writing with real life was another challenge entirely. Family responsibilities, stress, errands, dinner, daily obligations, emotional exhaustion, interruptions in the middle of scenes, trying to find time to create while life continued moving around me. There were many moments where I had to step away from writing to handle everything else first before returning to the story later.
And honestly, sometimes that balance felt impossible.
But even through all of it, I kept coming back to the story.
That persistence surprised me more than anything.
Writing became more than creating a book for me. It became proof that I was capable of doing something I once believed was beyond my reach. It pushed me creatively, emotionally, and personally. In many ways, writing Salt & Sand helped me grow while I was helping the story grow too.
And somewhere during all of it, writing stopped feeling impossible.
It started feeling necessary.
I think that’s why I encourage anyone with a story inside them to start, even if fear is sitting beside them while they do it. Whether it’s journaling, outlining ideas, writing scenes, or simply allowing your imagination room to exist, creativity matters. Investing in yourself matters.
You do not need to be perfect before you begin.
You just need to begin.
Now that I’ve completed the final draft of Salt & Sand, I can finally look back and say something I never thought I’d be able to say before:
I wrote a novel.
And being able to share that world, those characters, and that journey with other people feels like a gift all on its own.
