2019 marked the beginning of a new chapter, a time when I stood at the crossroads between ambition and uncertainty. Enrolling in the Creative Writing program at the University of Sussex, I was driven by a vision—a dream of creating stories that could reach beyond the page and linger in the minds of readers. I wanted to craft narratives that were not just read but felt, that explored the hidden corners of the human experience, from the mundane to the magical.
But alongside that ambition came a wave of fear. What if my words fell flat? What if the stories I wanted to tell—tales of modernist poetry, fantastical worlds, and complex characters—were lost in translation between my mind and the page? I worried about whether I could master the intricate balance between plot and prose, whether I had the discipline to turn creative sparks into fully realized works.
Yet, those fears were matched by an even greater excitement—a sense of wonder at the possibilities that lay ahead. I dreamed of finding my voice, of learning how to weave symbolism into a sentence, how to use metaphor like a hidden key that unlocks deeper meaning. I hoped to create stories that could challenge perspectives, that might even change the way someone saw the world.
As I took my first steps on that Sussex campus, I felt like a character at the beginning of their own story—one filled with unknown challenges, but also with the promise of discovery. The journey that began in 2019 wasn’t just about gaining a degree; it was about facing those fears head-on, embracing the uncertainty of creation, and letting my dreams guide me through the twists and turns of the narrative I was destined to write.
Soon to become,