I Sit Here Writing, and Carry On
Keep moving forward
This isn’t a post about recent events, though it could be. I’ve seen a lot of grieving on my social media timelines since Tuesday, November 5th, 2024. That was, oddly enough, also my father’s birthday. He turned 65 in my hometown. I called him that morning to congratulate him on reaching such a milestone in his life. He has a home, a wife, and four adult children—myself included. Life hasn’t always been easy for him. Life hasn’t been easy for a lot of us. But we keep going.
This post isn’t about those recent events, per se. Everyone became a political analyst the day after the election. I have my own thoughts. We all do. But I saw too much grieving. I thought it’d be best to give everyone some space to rest before it all begins. The future is unpredictable. But history was never meant to stop anyway. We were always in the trenches. So it goes.
That said, my mind, time, and well-being have been preoccupied with personal struggles rather than political ones. I’m not okay. I haven’t been since March of this year, arguably since July of 2023. My close circle knows what I’m referring to. I’ll leave the details and story with them.
Despite the struggles, I managed to have a few victories this year. El Teatro Campesino accepted another one of my short plays into their Palabra showcase just as they did last year. I didn’t think I’d get in again. But I did. I managed to make up up north to watch the performance. My play made everyone cry. I cried too. It was beautiful to watch.
Another victory includes film. A short script I cowrote was filmed just last month in October. I cannot reveal too many details about it yet. But it’s surreal to think that something I helped write was filmed and will be submitted to film festivals. Just as watching my words on stage, I cannot see my words onscreen.
Those two small victories made me reflect on my writing career as well. I wrote my first Medium post in a very long time reflecting on how, despite earning an MFA for novel writing, I ended up having more success with scripts and plays instead. I don’t intend to give up on novels or poetry—which is also briefly mentioned. But it was interesting to look back on what led to the developments. You can read the piece in the link here.
There’s nothing much more for me to share, though. 2024 is coming to a close soon. I' might do another post reflecting on what’s happened and what’s to come.
But if I were to leave one last thought on this post, it’d be this.
Having gone through a difficult year—two at this point—it made me realize what a lifesaver my writing has been. I started journaling again this year, which has helped me stay sane and grounded throughout these tough moments. As I reach the end of 2024, I remember all the projects I have yet to finish. I have a lot of plans in mind. I have two screenplays I want to finish. I want to write my first full-length play. I still have my two novels to send out to agents. And there’s also a full-length book of poetry I had announced in the summer that has yet to be released—though I am now considering submitting it to some contests.
Times will get dark. They’ve been dark. But I have a lot to look forward to. Why would I let myself be defeated and give up on my dreams? I won’t. I’ll keep moving forward. So I write this post as a reminder of my conviction and ambitions. I am reassuring myself that there are still things to look forward to, so much more.
So I sit here writing, and carry on.
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