I have a confession to make.
And We Continued's Future.
I am actually a fiction novelist.
I used to write intensely for hours at a time under an alias. Within six months, I wrote five to six fantastic novels like nobody’s business. I was writing on a site and ended up getting featured, obtaining two book deals, and then… I burned it all down and couldn’t sign the contract.
I burned it all down because there is nothing more exposing than writing a fiction novel. There is no clearer way to be seen for being who you truly are, and I couldn’t do it. I had so much pressure, limiting beliefs, and other people’s whispers in my heart. I burned it down to feel safer, and I couldn’t write for two years.
I would stare at blank documents. I would try for the life of me to write, but I find to be a good writer, you truly have to be authentic so it can show in your work. You can work around it in non-fiction, but for great fiction work, your soul has to be laid bare for it to be a truly beautiful read.
After two years, I could not simply not write anymore. I had to. It was in my blood.
So what does an author do when they are afraid to write a story, they might create a creative blog, emotional short stories, or take up an intense-over-the-max journaling obsession. I did all the above and then some. I was trying to create a story with whatever I was doing because I couldn’t channel it in the way I was meant to.
I would inch closer and closer back to the fiction author I knew I was supposed to be, but take a massive detour. With the amount of times I was running away from myself, God always looped me right back to being an author.
So, I decided to truly channel all of my writing into writing fiction. I am writing a book right now, and I have never been so connected with the younger version of me. I was staying up all night and all morning writing my story. I had started it, but trailed off to a bunch of different projects. My heart was scared and singing at the same time when I finally sat down and decided to finish.
So, And We Continued has had many, many lives. This Substack used to be called The Cozy Comfort, and it had a podcast called The Living Diary. That lasted for a year until I rebranded this space and the podcast to And We Continued. I dropped the podcast and kept this newsletter. That phase lasted another year.
I have written over 138 articles on here. If we count the blog I had before, I have written over two hundred articles.
Luckily, I am not burning anything down. I am going to rework front page of And We Continued to how it used to be. The full archive will be open for anyone to access at all times.
I always preach about taking leaps of faith and being yourself. It’s time for me to do it too. I think there are times where you forget who you truly are and that’s fine. When you remember though, you have to choose your journey. Your authentic journey.
I found myself again and I don’t know all the pieces or the steps. For the first time, I am not my overconfident self. I feel scared and in the dark, but I am willing to walk through that door and close it behind me.
I said this on my last podcast episode, “You will never regret putting your trust in God.”
I said that this was my mantra after I asked God to help me out and help me live the life of my dreams. I was going to start a whole new detour away from myself again, but God gently led me right back to the little girl I grew up as.
The toothy kid with too much energy that liked to make stuff and tell stories. The one I loved and talked to, but couldn’t look in the eye. This is where I was led to. I was reminded of my dreams and I am going to go for it. So, the next version of And We Continued, the next version for all of us, is to be ourselves truly, align, and do our best to go in that direction.
Thank you for being here with me for the last few years. If you want to check in on me sometimes, I will still be on my podcast and YouTube. If you love my writing and the way I write about the topics I do on And We Continued, I would recommend you check out my book Letters of the In-Between. That book had been a huge part of my healing journey and it had been a crucial step for me to make the bold decisions I am right now. I am planning to expand the book to more platforms, so you can watch out for that.
Thank you for being here with me. I can’t wait to write for you in a different way. I’ll see you, love.
Sincerely,
Your Author Bayinnah
The Final Quote of And We Continued
“Your new life is going to cost you your old one.
It’s going to cost you your comfort zone and your sense
of direction.
It’s going to cost you relationships and friends.
It’s going to cost you being liked and understood.
It doesn’t matter.
The people who are meant for you are going to meet you
on the other side. You’re going to build a new comfort
zone around the things that actually move you forward.
Instead of being liked, you’re going to be loved. Instead of
being understood, you’re going to be seen.
All you’re going to lose is what was built for a person you
no longer are.”
― Brianna Wiest,