2026-03-02
CHECK OUT SOMNIA, A NOVEL | NEW CHAPTERS (ALMOST) DAILY
I've finally gotten the ball rolling on Somnia. It's a project I've been stewing on for a while, and I finally feel like, after a period of meditation and logistical setup, I can get into the flow of publishing chapters more frequently. I've wanted to write more and get my weekly word count up to something even more substantial. Now that I have this project, that should be easier to achieve. I figured that with this kind of workflow here in Cogito—short, daily vignettes—I could take that same serialized publishing style and incorporate it into a novel.
I was also inspired by Fredrik Backman, the guy who wrote that book that got adapted into that Tom Hanks movie. His novels are written with very short chapters, and he pulls it off masterfully. I remember being younger and reading James Patterson books, and those had a similar structure and cadence, too. Honestly, I think that's a pocket I can most definitely grab from. My ability to retain attention on a single thing over 5,000 words is not that good, and I felt that for a long time, I had to work diligently to try and work my way toward it. However, as I've shown with this project and hopefully Somnia, the vignette is my best asset, and I can still maintain longer threads over an extended period.
Overall, I'm feeling excited for this creative chapter in my life. I feel like I've worked toward establishing a lifestyle that's conducive to it, and now all I have to do is stay with it and let it bear whatever fruits come from it. For me, my ambition lies in this constant work of diligent attention. It's something that the world is missing; we've become so lost in digital ephemera that we forgot the importance of sitting alone and thinking things through. Of course, there's a growing subset of people who wish to take technological progress and make good use of it; many have created spaces to catalog and parse through the information they consume through note‑taking apps or personal websites.
For me, there's an added bonus to doing this kind of thinking in public. It's a similar principle I've observed when developing software: the only way to know if a program works well is to put it in front of users and get feedback. In the same way, writing can only improve if it's put in front of readers. I know that as I've grown in this practice, I've developed plenty of rhetorical tricks, scaffolding for ideas, and refinements of language that have served my ability not just to write, but to think deeper and more efficiently. I know now that I can take a certain thread of ideas in my mind and directly translate them into an actionable piece every single day.
Life has given me plenty of challenges, but I've taken what's happened to me and used it to make myself better. I can write from this place of gratitude and hope today, but I know that I won't always have these feelings. I've written at length about my issues, but that writing has helped me process them in a way that doesn't mold to any prevailing structure; it's something I had to build myself from the ground up, but now I can use those workflows I've developed and maintain a steady course ahead. For me, that's not just self‑care or a hobby. It's my entire life, and I couldn't be more grateful.
Of course, there are always new threads to weave and challenges to face, but I know that I have a greater wisdom than I did when I was younger. It's wisdom that's been hard‑fought for, and something that will keep me going when trouble inevitably comes again. I do my best to remain vigilant in prayer, and I've noticed that there are forces that actively try to keep me from it. The act of keeping Christ as the pinnacle of love and keeping that love in my heart at all times is a constant and evolving process. Many thoughts are ephemeral and are like flashes in a pan, so the choice of actively discerning to keep Christ at the forefront of my mind is a deep and arduous challenge. Thankfully, it's one that rewards vigilance and a humble spirit.
People can dislike me, hate me, and try to make me into someone I'm not. While that kind of thing can make me angry or sad, I know that the best thing I can do is pray for them because I know that, ultimately, I have no enemies. Even if there are people who see me as one, I don't have to return that kind of animosity. Instead, I can work to be like Christ and approach them from a place of love and mercy. It's undoubtedly the narrower path, but one that ultimately keeps me the safest. If my love makes them hate me more, then so be it.
That's between them and God.
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