At Home in the Writer's Studio: My Three Tenets of Writing

Connection through Experience
Everything I write is grounded in something I've experienced. My multicultural background, my familial and friendship ties, and my day-to-day activities are all surface-level experiences, but there are lessons I've learned about being human through all of it. These are the things I use to create a connection to people. In regards to the speculative elements within my writing, these experiences somehow evolve into the magical realms I create. Many of those realms emanate from my fears that are based on dreams or nightmares, centered on perspectives of "the other," and informed by my own (im)mortality, which are the very basis of what it means to be human and how readers can connect with my characters.
Emotive Inspiration
Emotions are laden with stories. Each story acts as a buoy, carrying the weight of the past to the surface. Coming face-to-face with these emotions allows me to learn more about myself and my characters. This, I believe, allows me to navigate more freely through my own world and the worlds I create. When I write my characters, these emotions become the foundation through which they come to life for me, and in turn, they become vessels that help set up a common ground connecting to all things human. No matter what world my characters exist, the emotions they feel are universal.
Writing as a Learning Tool
Whether we realize it or not, we inherently fashion our identities based on the people who surround us. People may come into our lives for different reasons: they may help us to learn something new about ourselves or they can aid us in coming to a better realization of what it means to be human. Therefore, when I write my characters and the worlds they live in, they become part of a learning process for me, and they help shape me and my identity. ​Sometimes, a character can help me to remedy something I am struggling with. Other times, they can help me to better see my own truth. It's a reciprocal relationship.