In January 2010, I was still in high school. I was chief editor of the school paper, editor of the school literary magazine, member of the slam poetry club, with a bunch of other writing constantly happening on the side. I began the decade doing writing that either or may not have amounted to something, and whenever it was the former, it was frequently to the small audience of my high school and hometown.
Now we are on the other end of the decade, mere weeks away from entering a new one, and so much as changed since then. I’m still writing, but little did I expect at this time ten years ago to have accomplished so much within this first decade of adulthood. This is the time of year where self reflection occurs more often, which is why I want to take a moment and really look back on my main writing accomplishments I’ve done throughout the 2010’s.
Articles, Blog Posts, Think Pieces Galore!
This is an accomplishment that most people might best know me for. Ever since college, I’ve been bouncing from outlet to outlet, writing and interviewing my way around cyberspace. But it’s within the last six years where I found my niche in writing specifically for both the Asian American community and the mixed race community. It’s both a joy and a true growing experience in being a content creator in the written word. I like sharing other people’s stories, I like sharing my own, and I find value in providing insight in spaces where it’s most needed.
Novels and Short Stories
The fact that I’m in a position where I can call myself an author is truly a childhood dream come true. I’ve been making up stories for as long as I can remember, wanting nothing more than to make something available to a much larger audience. The fact that I’ve done that and am still doing that now is amazing.
Often when I tell people that I have two novels out, they’re stunned and impressed. Well, believe it or not, I don’t blame them. I’m frequently stunned at myself for tackling this goal as early as I have. That fact that it’s a goal that keeps on going and evolves overtime is maybe the best part about it, as my writing takes shape as well.
Playwright
I am a playwright! That is a statement I have every right to say, and yet still find hard to believe. The theater world is one that I find myself bouncing in and out of, in roles that hardly ever align with my own personal goals. The fact that this past decade I was back in the world, contributing in a way that I best know how means a lot. This was the decade where I finally dived into the world of learning how to write a script, and the fact that some of those scripts have actually been produced and performed on stage for several audiences is incredible – like the best kind of out-of-body experience.
While I’m currently not doing a lot of writing for the stage, that doesn’t mean I never want to do it again. But like all goals when in writing, I now look to how I can take it up a notch.
Screenwriter
This is the most recent of writing goals I’ve accomplished this past decade, for this is one I did only a year ago. I am a screenwriter! I have a feature-length screenplay written and has been revised numerous times over the last year. Along the way, I’ve been submitting it to different film festivals and competitions, in hopes of something coming of it. So far, it hasn’t gone anywhere, but it’s definitely a start.
This is one goal that I have very particular interest in taking up a notch, big time. I want to write for TV and film, and the only way of making that happening is by writing more scripts and getting eyes on them. I also would like to get one produced at one point. I want to have that out-of-body experience that I have when watching a play of mine performed, but in the media world. I want this particular goal to amount to something in the long run, and as 2020 nears, I’m strategizing ways to get on the path to making it happen.
A lot of writing has happened over the past decade; writing that my 17-year-old self would be over the moon about if I were to go back in time and tell her. She was on the right path all along, and now as I look to the 2020’s, I intend to expand and deepen the journey in so many ways. I’m looking forward to sharing it with you all as time goes along.
If you are able to, I hope you can go support me in all that I do by leaving a tip over on Ko-fi. I do a lot of writing that I get paid very little for or not at all, and so this is a way of showing your support other than just reading my content. Donations of varying quantities and frequencies are greatly appreciated.
Lola By The Bay 