When Fiction Meets Fact

Kent
New York, NY
visionary

A writer goes through regular bouts of mental blockage all throughout his or her career, that dreaded phase of the writer’s process wherein he or she goes through an instantaneous, dark corner in his or her mind when no words seem to cohere together and all attempts at cleaving meaningful ideas turn out empty.

As much as writer’s block could be a very difficult hurdle to overcome, there are fateful instances when they also serve as sources of inspiration for the struggling writer. In the case of Kent, a newly-published fiction writer, the obstruction went well beyond writer’s block. It was a chasm so wide and deep that stretched out for more than a decade of Kent’s life. But it was for this very hiatus from writing that actually molded Kent to become more productive with the pen.

Kent has always loved writing, be it poetry and prose about love, war, death, growing up, and just about everything that fascinated him in his teenage years. When he reached 17, writing turned to passion from a mere hobby especially after he met and eventually dated this girl who shared a little, private game with him wherein she would spontaneously mention any scenario and Kent would have to come up with a story based on that scenario. Their little game inspired Kent to write more and more, and then one eventful day, the scenario she blurted out was “a boy in the desert and he doesn’t know how he got there.”

It was that very moment that Misha was born.

Misha is the story that Kent drew up in his mind ever since that day, and some of his family and close friends would eventually know about this boy in the desert who didn’t know how he got there and the adventure that would follow him as soon as he discovers where he is. The story lived inside Kent’s head for a while, but as the years passed by and life just took its regular toll, Misha faded deep into the recesses of Kent’s subconscious, and along with it vanished his passion for writing.

Years and years flew by, and Kent found himself climbing the corporate ladder where he worked mostly for the fashion and jewelry industries in New York. About a year ago, while he was pretty much enjoying his daily routine surrounded by family, friends, and colleagues, Kent’s life took a sudden turning point – he was fired from his managerial job. It was the first time for him to ever undergo such a tough blow, especially that it was a job he thoroughly enjoyed and he knew he excelled at. The circumstance got Kent spiraling down a place where he had never been to before, a dark place that abounded in confusion, despair, and loss.

Yet, something inside Kent brought a flicker of light amidst the darkness. He recounts that phase of sheer isolation and smiles as he says, “But in that confusion, I had to find a place in myself, and I started thinking, ‘Okay, I’m not happy. I got fired, you know this is not good.’ So I was a couple of weeks like this. And then I thought to myself, ‘Okay, Kent, think of a time when you were happy.’ So I started going back to all of my happiest days — when I got married, when my nephew, Tennessee, was born, when Lisa (his little sister) was born… all the happiest days of my life. And then I remembered a span of time that wasn’t just a happiest day, but a time, like a time period. And in that time period, I remembered that I used to love writing.”

After finding the courage to accept his painful loss, and then realizing that with it came hope, Kent started to pick up his pen once again. With this newfound self-motivation, he finally created the story of Misha that has always been with him all along. Right after he made his epiphanous discovery, Kent took his mother, his wife, and his little sister to dinner and declared to them his intention of becoming a published writer. He believed that if he really wanted this enough, he had to declare it to those whom he loved as that would push him even more to really make it happen.

Six months after that momentous dinner with the women in his life, Kent was holding in his hands his very first published book ever, “Misha: The Desert.” Another six months passed by and then his second book, “Misha: The Island” was published. As of recent, Kent is now working on his third book, “Misha: The City.” Kent convicts that it took more than half his life to finally push him to just write the one story he always wanted to write, but he sees now that the timing was perfect. And from the darkness of something, he is humbled to come out to something amazing, as well.

Kent currently works at another fashion-related company during the day, but at least with this job, it affords him a lot more spare time to write. I tried to ask him if Misha was, in a way, a character based on his own life. Kent mischievously affords me a wink and a grin and explains that he can’t even really say if Misha is the boy or if it’s the place. I chuckle for a bit and realize that he’s right. If I want to find out, I guess I’ll have to experience the story myself by reading the books, just as Kent lived through his own life first before he could finally build the fantasy world he’s always dreamed of.

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A note from *the storyteller:
1. Misha: The Desert and Misha: The Island are available for purchase online at Barnes and Noble. Click on this link to find out more: the Misha adventure series
2. Kent’s full interview can be streamed here: Story by Kent