Hey everyone. I just wanted to write a little bit about myself here, get myself out there. I believe, after all, knowing a bit about who an author is and where their source of thinking and all that helps in the enjoyment of their work. First of all though, I’d like to say thank you to all of you who come by and read. It really is a joy and a dream come true to know that there’s people out there reading my work.

    Like in the name of the website, my name’s Justin. I want to say that I started writing stories when I was around eight years old. A majority of my imagination was fed by video games and cartoons; I think the first story I ever wrote was about a secret cave hidden by a cluster of boulders sort of like finding the Gorons in Ocarina of Time, if I recall correctly. A few years after that, I started expressing my pre-teen angst and insecurities in my writing. Characters were often myself and idealized versions of girls that I had crushes on at the time who found themselves in romantic situations. It was a very confusing time.

    After my second year in junior high, I had a tiny epiphany that maybe my writing was at least a smidge embarrassing and elected to take up the cello as another form of expression. It was a lot of fun and I took it very seriously, with a vision of grandeur: playing in world renowned symphonies. Unfortunately, as I neared the end of my high school career and met many talented individuals who put much more of themselves into the pursuit of music, I realized that I didn’t really have the heart for it. Not like them, at least.

    When I began my college career, I entered as an undeclared major, not quite sure what to pursue. All I knew was that I didn’t want to go into the fields that my relatives were pushing me toward. So, I enjoyed my first taste of being away from my family. It wasn’t anything special or crazy, though. Mostly, it was just staying up way too late for no reason. But by the end of the second quarter, a roommate’s friend had come by to visit a few times and talked about his major: creative writing. He bragged about how it was the easiest major ever – he just made things up and got high marks. And, admittedly, at the time my goal was to simply get high grades so that I could be left alone by my relatives who worried constantly about my future. 

    So, a few weeks later, I went to the counselor of the arts college and declared creative writing as my major. My relatives expressed concern about my decision, but I think it was mostly alleviated or not as worrisome for them because my two older siblings had already gone on their straying paths from what my relatives had planned for them.

    When I first began my coursework in creative writing, it was simple: write something that wasn’t necessarily real. Teaching assistants liked my work enough and I got good grades. But as I delved a little deeper into more advanced coursework, I learned that there was a lot more to writing a piece, whether it be fiction, poetry, prose, or nonfiction. My work was put under the spotlight by professors and peers and I learned how to give and take criticism. I recall holding in tears during my first workshop and only letting them out when I returned to my dorm room alone. I began seeing things in books that I never even considered before. For my senior thesis, I worked with a renowned poet to write a draft of a children’s book. All of it was an absolutely crazy and eye opening experience for me.

    Also during my university years, I dabbled in stand up comedy, going to a few open music on campus and around the city and exploring the possibly humorous relationship between my continued angst and humor. I also became involved with the campus’ music club, continuing my interest in music, but in a much less formal setting. I played with a few student held shows with some people and even wrote some songs of my own, though I never shared them with anyone. I started a small blog with no direction and also learned more about baking. Looking back on it now, there was a lot of stuff that I did and probably a lot of things that I wanted to do but can’t remember now.

    Then, I graduated.

    During my studies of creative writing, I had taken some education courses to keep my relatives from digging too deep into my intentions for the future, which at the time I had no idea about. So, I got a job as a substitute teacher. And, without going into too much detail, I didn’t enjoy it. I quit the following year and was unemployed and panicking about what I should do. Luckily, because I was still away from relatives, I didn’t get too much of a hounding. But, I soon found that it would be smarter to move back home and look for work there. During this time I felt the fear of not being able to do things that I wanted to do in life build up.

    I started looking for stable work in the public sector, but found that the process for getting in took a long amount of time and was highly competitive. So, I also applied for work in the private sector and became a cashier, a waiter, and a line worker at various institutes. It brought my spirits up a little bit, knowing that I was capable of work and independence. I joined a few friends in writing together for a time, but stopped not too soon after joining them. I recorded a few songs, learned how to DJ, and started a small podcast in hopes that it would sate my creative desires as well as possibly become pursuits that could produce income. They never really did, but I was satisfied for a short while.

    Then, in 2015, I moved to Northern California to start a new job. That work and exploring my new living place became my life. But about after a year and a half of this routine, I felt something was missing. I dipped my toes back into stand up comedy and looked to making new music. But after a few months of this, I realized that something was still missing. 

In a stroke of luck, my coworker invited me to his sessions of Dungeons and Dragons. It was exciting, sharing my fantastical ideas with people. I slowly started realizing that writing these things was making me feel a little bit better. The following year I participated in NaNoWriMo and began the blueprints for a world that I plan on using for my lite sci-fi works. I started worldbuilding for another Dungeons and Dragons group, eventually leading to a world that I want to use for my fantasy works. And with how connected the world is, I’ve been inspired to write informal essays on what’s probably considered niche topics. 

And though I’m still as scatterbrained as I ever have been, I feel like I’m finally pursuing something that means something to me and brings me satisfaction. There’s still a long road ahead of me to get to my goal, being able to write and create content full time, but I’m finally starting to get a feel for it and I’m so, so grateful to be able to do this.

I’m looking forward to putting myself and some more work out there a little more in 2022. So, whenever it may strike your fancy, please come by!