FROM BEHIND THE LENS TO BETWEEN THE LINES
My Unexpected Journey into Fantasy Writing
For the first time on this blog, I’m sharing something that’s been quietly taking shape behind the scenes: my debut novel, The Conductor’s Game.
For years, my world revolved around apertures, lighting, and capturing the perfect shot for brands. I built my career helping businesses tell their stories through imagery—finding the right angle, the perfect moment, the visual narrative that would connect with their audience.
So how did I end up here, writing about magic and mythical worlds?
The Spark
It started in the most unexpected place—during a meditation session eight years ago. The story came to me in fragments—characters, vivid scenes, the feeling of an entire world waiting to be discovered. I opened my eyes with half a story burning in my mind, knowing I had to write it down.
What I didn’t know was how hard it would be to find the other half, or that it would take eight years to piece it all together.
The Marathon
Writing this book became a parallel journey alongside building my photography business and, eventually, starting a family. Some years, I wrote thousands of words. Other years, the manuscript sat untouched for months as life demanded my attention elsewhere.
But the real challenge wasn’t time—it was figuring out how to finish what I’d started. That initial burst of inspiration carried me through the first act, maybe the second, but then I hit walls. Plot holes. Character arcs that led nowhere. The ending that lived somewhere in my subconscious refused to reveal itself.
The story evolved as I did, but it was more excavation than creation—digging deeper to uncover what was already there, waiting to be found.
What I’m Learning
The skills aren’t as different as I initially thought. Both photography and writing require:
Understanding your audience
Crafting compelling narratives
Attention to pacing and rhythm
The ability to evoke emotion
But writing fantasy has pushed me in entirely new directions.
What’s Next
Then my twins were born, and something shifted. Maybe it was the sleepless nights, maybe it was holding these tiny new lives and thinking about the stories I wanted to leave for them—but I found myself returning to the manuscript with renewed purpose. I completed the final draft a little over a year after they arrived.
Now, with the first draft finally finished, I’m ready to share this world that’s lived in my head for nearly a decade. I’ve hired a developmental editor and am working through some big edits—polishing and refining this story that’s been so long in the making. Soon, I’ll be ready to query agents and navigate the publishing world—a whole new adventure that feels both exciting and daunting.
I will start sharing on this blog my creative evolution. I’ll share behind-the-scenes glimpses of my writing process, the world I’m building, and the lessons I’m learning as I navigate this new creative territory.
Thank you for coming along for the creative journey. Let’s see where this story takes us.
