It’s been a dream to move here. 3,681 miles/ 592 km from my origin – just past the equator, nestled comfortably in the North Pacific. The orchids teeming with small insects darting between plants parrying the aerial assault of thumb-sized insects and coil-tongued reptiles.
Birdsong sounds different here in the jungle. It has more body and heft. The sound, unmistakable, is a combination of the cicadas’ calling, frogs chirping, birds’ talking, and the slight hum of the local band – drumming and strumming away.
I had worked many years to earn enough money and a following to act upon my dreams and make the move. Moving here, to San Juan, Costa Rica was something that I dreamed about in my junior year of university.
It was a running joke of mine to “be the fucking .000295%”. This alludes to the percentage of writers that are successful. Success is measured by number of sales and profit.
It took nearly two decades to make this dream a reality, but after several years of decent sales and royalties – it was time to take the leap. Time to finally cash in on all of the hard work put into this trade. The late nights clacking on a worn mechanical keyboard – each keystroke brightening the dark underside of the monitor shelf. The LED lights made typing less boring. I never understood why, but I swear I type better with a colorful keyboard. Did I mention that I never matured? I like my colorful accessories and bed filled with plushies.
My young adulthood dreams were to become a famous writer and retire to a jungle cottage in a tropical area. Desk to the wall, jungle facing window to my left. Plants hanging – shrouding books lining village-constructed shelves.
Nobody knows my real name and I am perfectly okay with that. All I have ever wanted is to assume the identity of the person I am now. It took many years of saving and preparing, but I have done it. I am proud of myself and my efforts.
The best part of it all, I have signed a book. As the creator. That was one of the most important achievements I had hoped to secure.
This is a wonderful quote that I internalized during my hike through the literary jungle,
“Success as a writer is entirely dependent on what you’re willing to give up to achieve it.”
– Jodi Picoult.
Above is what I would like to see insofar as the trajectory of my career. Will it go this way? Highly unlikely, but one thing I am really good at is perseverance and tenacity. I will become a successful author. One word at a time.
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