love your stories
and in turn, they will love you back
JUL 05, 2026
A story for the reader, writer, and protagonist.1
“What’s been making life feel real for you?”
Two days before graduation, my good friend (and long time supporter of my personal blog) S asked me this question. There’s the obvious–I’m grateful to friends and family in my life. Even more so to my partner, who has stood by me over the past year. But, there’s something beyond that. I wanted to answer with something that felt solely me.
So I respond with two things: writing and reading.
While my personal Substack has been pretty barren as of late–largely due to writer’s block, finals, and lack of inspiration on the novelties of life, I have found joy in writing creative fiction. A small story that lives in the depths of my notes app has become a larger outlet for expressing myself over the years.
Two years ago, as I sat heartbroken in my friend C’s apartment, I told him that I’ve always wanted to write more long-form content, but it wouldn’t be good.
He tells me, “Write anyway. You might as well try it out, whether it’s good or bad.”
So here I am, 27 personal blog posts later. And whether my foray into creative fiction is good or bad, I will write anyway. Because it’s something that I love. I can’t really put it into words–the reason I love writing. Though if I were to take a stab at identifying the reason, I’d say it’s because of my habit of trying to remember as much as I can about my life. Scrolling through hundreds of notes in my notes app, clicking through old poetry, these all act as records of who I was, who I am, and who I may become.
The second point that I mentioned to S, was the other side of the coin: reading.
It’s a little silly to admit, but I’ve gotten really into a certain web novel as of late. It had always been on my radar as I am a big fan of another more famous web novel, but I never had the chance to pick it up. But with finals over, I decided to give it a try. I also found out in early June that the novel had begun to be adapted into a manhwa, and I took it as a sign.
In the days leading up to graduation, I was reading nonstop. It got to a point where my nighttime routine was reading from 10pm to 2am nearly everyday. When my phone was getting fixed at the Apple Store, an employee showed me to a laptop to pass the time, and I found the PDF version of the novel to continue reading. I was, well, very engrossed in the story.
I’ve always been an avid reader. My mom used to love telling her friends that she actually tells me to read less. She’d always mention that one time I finished a book in the time it took to drive from the bookstore to home, and immediately asked her if I could get another book soon. So reading has always been a through-line in my life. It was a way to experience narratives and emotions that made life feel real.
ideal and the real
Just a few weeks after leaving college (a tad dramatic since I am doing another year as a master’s student), I’m now unsure if anything has been making life feel “real” lately. The two points that were working for me before had to take a backseat. Being alone in a new city with questionable public transport doing a 9-5 for a summer is a lot. And it isn’t exactly exhilarating work.
Could it be? Maybe. But, I don’t think I’ve ever been a person who’s in love with work.
So what am I in love with?
I think I am in love with stories. I mention earlier that reading has always been through-line in my life. Now that I reflect on it more, I think it’s more so the consumption of stories that have had such an important place in my heart. I think about my hobbies and ask: Why do I love certain video games? Why do I love mangas, webtoons, web novels and the like? That’s obvious. They’re all stories that evoke some kind of emotion within me.
But let’s stretch the definition a little.
People, in a way are stories themselves. The friends who I so deeply cherish each have their stories they live out. And I get to be a part of their journey.
My partner and I now share a story, one that changes with each passing day.
The folder in my notes app titled “random personal” is a story–a record of every emotion I’ve experienced. The highs, the lows, and the in betweens. While I do cringe a little when I look back on these things, I feel a sense of fondness towards my past self. Her naivete, optimism, pessimism, and passion all led to the me now. And for that I am grateful.
I hope the me in the future will find love for the stories that I am experiencing now.
closing thoughts
I titled this post “love your stories” because I believe that by doing so, you will receive that love back in the form of experiences and emotions. As my undergraduate days came to a close, I did a lot of thinking on what this “chapter” of my life meant to me.
It was a chapter full of stories that I loved so dearly. And those stories gave me love back.
