I Had No Idea Journaling Would Lead to My First Book

How everyday writing led to self-healing and becoming an author.

The first time I remember journaling was in a very pink, very purple, glittery, pony-adjacent, girly journal with large spaces between the lines. Who knows what I wrote about? Signing my name, about my mom or dad, my annoying siblings, or just the goings-on of the day. I had no idea then that writing would become such an important part of my life, that I would feel incomplete if I went long periods without doing so, or that the simple act of journaling would help heal me.

Journaling allowed me to become a friend and voice of reason for myself. From silly doodles to middle school crushes, to high school drama, college adventures, love, heartbreak, trauma, and wisdom, my writing has guided me through it all.

Twenty-two years or so later, I have published my first book. When I began this journey, ‘You Anthem,’ wasn’t the book I planned to publish. I was working on a fiction novel based in Cuba that explores four very different lives and a tragic secret that unites them all. I was three-quarters of the way done with the book but grew tired of the constant questions, ‘When will it be done?’ or ‘Do you have anything published?’ At the time, I had no idea when it would be done, and I’d never published…