Behind the Mirror

Sometimes, all it takes is one conversation to remind you why you started.

Recently, I had the opportunity to speak with someone who had read Far From Oz. Hearing their thoughts about the story gave me something I hadn’t realized I had been missing.

Confidence.

For a while, I had been questioning almost everything about the book. I wondered if the writing needed to be changed more than I originally thought. I questioned whether the story was strong enough and whether the way I had written it was reaching the reader the way I intended.

That conversation helped me step back and see the story differently.

I made a few small changes to Far From Oz, but I ultimately decided to leave the rest of the book as it was.

And I’m okay with that.

That may sound like a small thing, but for me, it represents growth.

Earlier, I wrote about learning to accept constructive criticism and allowing my ego to step aside. I’m still learning that lesson, but I’m also discovering something equally important:

Not every piece of advice means everything needs to change.

Sometimes, criticism helps you see what needs to be improved.

Sometimes, it simply helps you see what was already working.

There is a difference.

After making the changes I felt were necessary, I put Far From Oz through Atticus to clean up the formatting and prepare it for publication. It has now been uploaded to Amazon again.

It will take a few days before the book becomes available, but it feels good to see it moving forward again.

I’ve also uploaded Far From Oz to Draft2Digital as an ebook.

Next comes Falling From Neverland.

There are a few additions I want to make to that story, along with some formatting work. Once those changes are finished, I’ll begin the process of putting it back online as well.

I’m taking this one step at a time.

Part of that is because life doesn’t always leave as much time for creativity as we’d like.

Between work and family, my time is limited. And for those who have toddlers, I’m sure you understand just how much time, energy, and attention they require.

Then there is the reality of simply trying to keep up with life these days.

A full-time job sometimes doesn’t feel like enough anymore, which means I also work part-time.

There are days when finding time to write feels almost impossible.

But I’ve learned something about myself during this process.

I don’t need to create everything at once.

I don’t need to finish everything immediately.

I just need to keep moving forward.

A page here.

A revision there.

A few minutes when time allows.

That’s still progress.

And to everyone who has been patient with me, who has read my stories, followed along, or simply stayed around to see where this journey takes me—thank you.

Your patience means more than you probably realize.

There have been plenty of moments when I’ve wondered whether continuing is worth it.

But I refuse to give up on this writing journey.

Maybe the path isn’t moving as quickly as I once imagined.

Maybe the stories aren’t reaching as many people as I’d hoped.

Maybe life will continue getting in the way.

But the stories are still here.

And so am I.

If something I’ve written can someday help another person find the courage to continue creating, then perhaps this journey will have meant more than simply getting my own books published.

Maybe that’s what Behind the Mirror is really becoming.

Not a story about having everything figured out.

But a place where I can share the process of figuring it out.

The setbacks.

The doubts.

The changes.

The small victories.

And the decision to keep going.

One story at a time.