Dear teenage Matthew Donald,
Oh man, things were so much simpler back when you were in your teenage years. You immersed yourself in your favorite fandoms, went positively giddy seeing an action scene in the theaters, inhaled fantasy books like they were delicious pizza, wrote giant books of your own of real amateurish quality, and thought the first time seeing your longtime crush in a bikini was the greatest moment of your life.
God, I kind of miss that excitement about everything you had, and sometimes I wish I could feel that excited again about some things now. Nostalgia is a drug we all can get addicted to, which like some drugs is mostly harmless when consumed in small quantities, but you need to be careful if you chug it too hard, because the reality is never that simple. I know you’re dealing with a lot of tough situations, and don’t believe in yourself as much as you should. You worry about the future, and honestly you still will until you’re my age and presumably until the day you die. Will you ever become a published writer like you want? Will you ever be able to live off of your creativity? Will your big fantasy books be adapted into blockbuster movies? Will you be on top of the world? A real somebody?
Let me tell you something, teenage Matthew. The world is crazy and unpredictable. People fabricate the illusion of control in the stormy mayhem we call reality, but the truth is we’re never fully in control, and need to ride the tides and wakes of the universe as best as we can no matter what ludicrousness it throws at us. And because of this, maybe the future you want now exactly won’t come to pass. Maybe your books won’t become big feature films. Maybe you won’t peruse the internet sneakily looking up fanfiction about your stories. Or maybe you will eventually but it might take far longer than expected.
And you know what? That’s okay.
Because there’s one thing about life you can control, and that is yourself. When you put your mind to something, you can accomplish it. You’ve shown this throughout your whole life so far, teenage Matthew, and let me tell you, that will continue until you reach my age and far beyond. Your books will get published, but not because you spent years upon years sending out query letters to agents and publishers and putting your fate into their uncaring hands, but because you took the risk of self-publishing and getting it done yourself. It’s a risky maneuver, and many times when people try that method it goes nowhere, but you did it because it kept you in the driver’s seat. You took control and kept it, because you had faith in yourself. And through this, you’ve sold books all around the world, even with the more limited reach you still currently have at my age.
You shouldn’t compare yourself to others who got successful before you. Like I said, life is mostly out of your control, and more often than not the people who hit it big at younger ages have connections that helped them get noticed. But that doesn’t mean you can't take your shot. Keep writing. Keep self-publishing those books. It may take decades, and it certainly will from your current age, but the more times you put your work out there the more chances you have to hit it big. But you might also not hit it big at all. Maybe the dice never rolls in your favor.
And you know what? That’s also okay.
Because we’re not here to get famous. We’re here to live as our truest selves, and your truest self is in the art of your creations. You’ve always shown that, even in your younger years, and you always will as the years go on.
So keep creating. Keep living, teenage Matthew. And for God’s sake, quit drinking so much soda. I still have that problem now, and maybe you can help me stop it by quitting it early. But never quit creating. That’s your truest self, teenage Matthew, and it will be as adult Matthew too. Carpe diem.
Matthew Donald has been an obnoxious snarker and dinosaur fanatic for all his life. After first winning a writing contest at age six, he made it his lifelong goal to write a bunch of books and release them upon the world. He graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 2014 with a B.A. in English and Creative Writing, and is currently working on four sequels to Teslanauts among some other projects. He lives in Highlands Ranch, Colorado with his cockatiel, Lyra. Learn more at www.matthewdonaldcreator.com.
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