Shortly after Adelphi graduation, I checked out The Way of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman at the Glen Cove Library where I work. The timing could not have been more perfect. As you could imagine, I felt confused and scared about my future like any recent college graduate. I wanted to write a novel that I had the idea of for a very long time, but I was afraid to write it. Then I thought back to The Prelude by William Wordsworth. It was emotionally unhealthy for Wordsworth to suppress his creativity. Likewise, I did not feel like myself when I was writing other stories rather than the novel I truly wanted to write. That being said, I faced my fears and began the novel.

However, deciding to write the novel was not enough. I sort of rushed through the project with the intention of finishing the book to get it published rather than simply enjoying the creative process. After “finishing” the novel, I tried contacting a publishing company right away. Truthfully, I didn’t personally feel like my novel was finished. Deep down, I felt I could have added and edited more. After I spoke with them on the phone, my Mom had a talk with me about how writing my book should be a “labor of love.” I realized that writing for the sake of being published did not make me happy. I love writing for the sake of freely using my imagination. I am currently in the editing process of my novel, and I love printing out the pages and and editing it on hard-copy paper. I hate reading on the computer. It hurts my eyes. Before typing my book on the computer, I like to write the passages on paper.

How does this connect to Peaceful Warrior? In the novel, Dan, at first, does gymnastics with the intention of winning. However, after meeting a wise man named Socrates at a gas station, Dan learns to do gymnastics for the enjoyment of the activity as a “peaceful warrior.” I read another book recently with a similar lesson by Richard Bach called Jonathan Livingston Seagull. In the book, the protagonist Jonathan Livingston Seagull likes to fly for the enjoyment of the activity rather than to achieve a desired outcome.

Recently, I read Bryan Cranston’s memoir A Life in Parts. This is about his acting career, not writing. Nevertheless, I deeply connected with the book because Cranston writes about the journey and process of becoming an actor and how it is not at all about the fame. Instead, it is about enjoying your work.

This summer, I learned a lot about the process of filmmaking by watching interviews with filmmakers. Now while watching movies, I think about the director and cinematographer’s choices of creative aesthetics and techniques. Similarly, while reading books, I like to look at the author’s creative choice of words. I like to watch interviews with authors as well. I learn about where authors get their ideas from. Barry Jenkins, the director of the Oscar-winning film Moonlight, is very passionate about film production. He says it is his favorite part of the filmmaking process. When Moonlight won best adapted screenplay at the Academy Awards, Barry Jenkins said, “it is about the process.”

Similar to Barry Jenkins, David Lynch (director of Blue Velvet and Mulholland Drive and creator of Twin Peaks) says "it's about the doing."

My Mom tells me that if I want to manifest success with my book, I could practice “creative visualization.” My Mom is writing a story herself on her free time and she wrote in her notes on her notes app on her iPhone that her book is a New York Times bestseller. This inspired me to write fictional praise for my novel:

“Cerebral, raw, and unique, DeMarco redefines the YA genre with her surreal dark humor. Very few authors have shed light on how witchcraft can be used for positive intentions,”-Annie Finch, poet, author of Spells and Among the Goddesses

“Never in a million years would I ever imagine myself loving a young adult novel. The writing is so three-dimensional it almost feels cinematic,” David Lynch, filmmaker and author of Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity

“Renee Chiavi is one of the most compelling heroines in recent young adult literature...she is vulnerable, yet boldly persevering,”-Zinzi Clemmons, author of What We Lose

“Very few authors have the bravery to depict the academic challenges that occur in high school. Through the craft of her protagonist’s academic endeavors, DeMarco accomplishes a difficult as well as a unique plot,”-Julia Walton, author of Words on Bathroom Walls

“Although a fantasy novel, there is truth of how the human mind works. Not since Virginia Woolf have we seen an author that shows how the brain works in a series of chains of associations,”-Elizabeth Strout, author of Olive Kitteridge and My Name is Lucy Barton

“DeMarco mixes Woolf-esque modernism and English Romanticism and creates a kaleidoscopic look at the mind, body, spirit, and beyond,”-Wendell Berry, author of Hannah Coulter and A Timbered Choir

“Using a subtle metaphysical and visionary tone, DeMarco highlights the dangers of fear and the power of love and gratitude,”-Dan Millman, author of The Way of the Peaceful Warrior

“The vivid descriptions of Renee’s thoughts almost make Renee’s mind a character in the story,”-Tom Perrotta, author of The Leftovers and Little Children

“DeMarco creates a new kind of fantasy blending new-age spirituality and transcendental psychology,” Diana Gabaldon, author of the Outlander series

“Not since Jane Eyre have we had such a strong self-aware, analytical, and observant female narrator,”-Jennifer Egan, author of A Visit From the Goon Squad

“The balance of dark humor and emotional conflict is what makes this teen novel a good read for adults as well,”-Simon Rich, author of What in God’s Name and The Last Girlfriend on Earth

“Through her vivid descriptions, DeMarco depicts mind, body, and spirit as three-dimensional forces. Very few novels show how the mind, body, and spirit often work and sometimes conflict with one another,”-Deepak Chopra, author of The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

“DeMarco’s rich dialogue makes you feel as if you are both in the external conversation and in the characters’ minds at the same time,” David Mitchell, author of Cloud Atlas and Black Swan Green

“DeMarco’s unique metaphors and similes highlight how complex the human mind and body truly are. The poetic meter and flow of the paragraphs and dialogue exchanges are what make the story engaging,” Molly Peacock, author of The Analyst and Paradise, Piece By Piece

“With dream-like poetic descriptions of mind and bodily functions, twenty-first century literature has never been this three-dimensional,”-Alan Lightman, author of Einstein’s Dreams and Song of Two Worlds

“DeMarco’s three-dimensional descriptions of the mind, body, spirit, and dialogue exchanges is what makes this metaphysical novel feel so realistic,”-Coleman Barks, translator of Rumi

“This is a very promising book series. I love this first book so much, I keep looking back to see what more this novel has to say,”-George R.R. Martin, author of Song of Ice of Fire series and The Ice Dragon

Overall, I am so thankful for the happiness I feel while editing my novel that it feels like it is published already.