They say the creative process has three parts: production, inspiration, and rest.

Here’s what that process looks like for me.

Production

I’m a professional writer, editor, and translator full-time. I work predominantly through Inkless Writing Agency, and I also freelance through Upwork. I focus on keyword research and SEO; getting web pages to rank and convert through written content.

I studied English at Penn State, and my thesis was a historical fiction play called The Superlatives.

I wrote a novel called Equator that is set on the Galápagos Islands, where I once lived for one year.

Inspiration

I’m from the U.S., but I’ve lived outside of my home country since 2018, predominantly in Latin America. At first, I traveled as a student, then as an English teacher, then as a remote worker.

I travel and work with my husband, Fede, who is from Colombia. I enjoy writing about cultural differences and breaking out of the red, white, and blue bubble.

I love birds and trees and fresh air, and I seek out places with biodiversity and sunshine.

I read mostly contemporary literary fiction.

But I predominantly find inspiration in the people I meet and come to love. I believe that when we seek out art, we are really looking for connection. For that reason, I try to ensure that the diverse perspectives of those I adore can enrich and inform everything I write.

Rest

It can be easy to become frustrated by a lack of productivity or unfocused creativity that splatters in all directions without a clear target.

Sometimes months go by without me writing anything for myself that turns out to be presentable. And often, that’s because, when it’s time to write, I instead spend that time on a long call with one of my friends, training with Fede, laughing with my parents, or any of the other mundane, forgettable, revitalizing, and soul-feeding activities of life. And those things are more important.

But, dear Writing, trust that I will always come back to you. When the sun goes down and you again knock on my door, I will warmly greet you with a place at my table and new stories to tell.