From Fiction to Truth: How My Main Character Became My Reflection

shaneandjoodlannet
Sep 14
3 min read

When I first began writing, I didn’t set out to share my own experiences. I thought I was creating a simple tale — just a girl stepping into uncharted waters. She finds a pendant, and her world begins to shift in ways she doesn’t understand.

At the start, that was all it was. No romance. No emotional depth. No reflection of my past. Just a girl, a pendant, and an unexpected journey.

The Shift

Then my partner said something that changed everything: “Why not bring it alive through your story?”

At first, I resisted. “No. This is my book. I don’t want to add that. I don’t want to bring that in.”

I thought if I kept it light and external, I wouldn’t have to face the heavier truths I had buried. But my partner was persistent. They kept reminding me that what the book needed wasn’t more twists — it needed more heart. More emotional depth.

And slowly, I began to listen.

Letting Myself In

I started adding little fragments of myself onto the page. At first, just tiny glimpses — a feeling here, a thought there. But once I opened that door, I couldn’t close it.

I kept adding, and adding, until the book was no longer just about a pendant and a strange journey. It was about me.

Ali’s Reflection of Me

Ali isn’t just a character on the page — she is a reflection of me. Like me, she left the world she knew behind. She stepped out of the only framework she had ever been given and into uncharted waters, with no guidebook, no roadmap, and no certainty of what would come next.

What makes her strong is her fire. Even when everything is stacked against her, she refuses to stop fighting. She pushes forward, even when the ground beneath her feels unstable. That resilience is something I recognize in myself — the part of me that wouldn’t let go, even when rejection and loneliness weighed me down.

But Ali is also vulnerable. She questions who she is. She feels the sting of being unwanted, of not belonging anywhere. She carries the ache of loss while trying to rebuild herself from the pieces. In her doubts, in her fear, in her moments of confusion — I see the rawest parts of me.

Ali left religion, just as I did. She is a fighter, just as I had to be. Through her, I tell the story of both my fragility and my strength.

The Writing Process

Writing this book unleashed long-buried memories to the surface. Memories I thought I had locked away.

It was painful. It was raw. And it was healing.

Through my writing process, I was reminded time and time again of how far I’ve come, how much I’ve worked on myself, and how much I’ve accomplished. Writing reminded me that I’ve created something I should be proud of.

Though my life is far from perfect, I’ve gone from someone who had nothing to someone that has manifested a life I never thought was achievable.

A Message to You

This book is more than fiction. It’s a reflection of my journey — breaking free, rebuilding, and reclaiming pieces of myself I thought were lost forever.

And my message to you is this:

Don’t ever give up. No matter how hard things get, keep pushing, and keep your dreams alive.

Soon, I’ll finally be able to share Ali’s journey — and mine — with you.

And this is only the beginning. Book 2 will go even deeper.

Until next time,

Jood