Tag: ambition

The Importance of Making Time

Life has a habit of getting incredibly busy, especially as a parent. Expectations must be met when you have a sassy little four-year-old to look after. We are in the first week of a new year, and I’m already swamped trying to keep up with an ever-growing list of ambitious tasks. Ironically, the seeming lack of time has also helped me understand something even more important.

When the reality of a full-time career in writing settled in my mind, it also knocked a few screws loose. I felt compelled to meet a daily writing quota, and that was probably the worst thing to do. I have always been amazed by those who register for and successfully complete NaNoWriMo and other write-a-thons. Consistency is the secret ingredient behind a creative’s success, but I learned early on that my approach didn’t pass the popular vote.

It was a lesson delivered by the very real circumstances of my life. I never expected the rollercoaster ride that followed after I wrapped up my academic career in 2021. I have worn many hats since then as a sleep-deprived father, a passionate workaholic, a supportive husband, and a frustrated creative who just couldn’t put pen to paper. Barring the occasional post, I was isolated from my writing projects for nearly four years, and, to be honest, it was probably the best thing that could have happened to me.

A career bordering on a passion can sometimes lack healthy boundaries. I had lofty ambitions, just like every other aspiring writer, but I was also incoherent. Sometimes it is good to let your writing stew a bit.

Good cooking takes time. If you are made to wait, it is to serve you better, and to ensure that you are served a meal fit for a king. 

In my case, it wasn’t just what I wrote (or cooked), but my entire creative process (or kitchen). My stew (or curry) has been four years in the making, and it led me to realize the secret ingredient behind my creative process: making time for the things I love.

I couldn’t write, but I could still imagine, and much like an artist’s sketchbook, I now have a compendium of ideas for projects that I have outlined over the last four years. This new-age wave of imagination was the result of giving myself some slack, taking things a little more slowly, and learning to enjoy the small moments. It meant spending time with my daughter. It meant helping my wife recover when she was at her worst. It meant dropping surprises for my family. Most importantly, it meant enjoying the moment for what it is.

Life is too short not to have some fun. To love yesterday, I needed to live today to the fullest, without regrets, so I could live tomorrow with the same feeling. Waltzing into 2026, I have found greater clarity towards my goals and personal ambitions, including completing my graphic novel and pursuing traditional publishing. For more than four years, I have been writing the script for a graphic novel, and this year, I will complete it. But that isn’t all. I am now ready to dive into the deep end and take a shot at the traditional publishing industry. A few projects are in the queue, and I hope to share all that I have learned and continue to learn on the path toward becoming a traditionally published author.

As to when I will actually make it onto the podium of winners, I have no clue. The podium isn’t the end goal either. I just want to write and bring my stories to life. Hey, there is something incredible about believing in the beauty of our dreams, no matter how small or how great. That being said, I hope everyone is having a great start to their 2026! I will see you all next week with another story to share!

Finishing the script – a new journey

After an entire year, I finally finished the rough draft of my comic book script last weekend.

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This post is a little late to the party but my mind desperately needed a break from writing. The last few days have allowed me to recuperate as well as re-evaluate my goals and objectives with regards to the comic book, and to a larger extent, my future.

What I required was a dose of reality, and I got a good share of it reading reference books on making and publishing comics. While I’m very happy to have finished the rough draft, there still remains a lot to be done. Reading and listening to the words of professional writers and comic book artists has also made it very clear how the journey towards becoming a full-fledged writer/artist is not an easy one. There is still a long way to go, and there is even more to learn. I need to really patch up my art skills, and consistently improve my writing as well. It is a difficult career, and success is not guaranteed, but when all is said and done I find that what is required is a little bit of initiative and a whole lot of discipline.

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Vegeta and I are on the same wavelength concerning this. 

I’ve been writing ever since high school. It started off with corny and over the top cheesy romantic teen novels. My first ever novel was titled, Love As It Is, so I think you get the point.

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These novels now serve as comedic enterprises on those days when I’m stressed and don’t feel too good about my writing just so I can remind myself how much I have improved since.

Then came an autobiography in Our Last Summer that allowed me to reflect on the most dynamic stages of my life growing up from a scrawny teenager to a responsible adult. At it’s heart, the book was about family, friendship, and remembering my roots while paving my own path in life.

This soon followed suit with a short, fictionalized novel in A Little Bit of Everything.  Despite being fiction, the story touched base and drew inspiration from what I believe will remain the most important and memorable moments of my life. Writing A Little Bit of Everything helped me define who I am and who I wished to be as an individual. When I completed the book, I realized that what meant the most to me in life was to keep my loved ones happy, and share my happiness with them and others through my stories and writing. Now, having finished the script for my comic book, that emotion has become a resolution for what I’m convinced and determined will be the foundation for my future career. 

While the script is complete, I can’t deny that it will be a few more years until the comic book as a whole comes together. I have just begun dissecting an art course on line drawings and fundamentals. I have purchased a few more on figure drawing, perspective drawing, and animation, in a toolbox that I expect will grow in time. I will soon begin polishing my script and setting out the layouts for the comic while doing a hefty bit of research on topics relevant to the work. I will be juggling these activities in between brainstorming another novel and completing my doctoral studies.

I have my work cut for me but I look forward to this new adventure, one that I intend to share with all my readers, friends, and family. With your love and support, I intend to pull through. That being said, I hope you are all doing well and staying safe amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic!

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I’ll see you all very soon with another post.

Turning 3, and 28

On June 28, 2019, I turned 28 years of age, and The Pensive Reverie completed its online journey of three years with 83 posts, and a sum total of 105 followers. A lot has happened over the last three years, but first I would like to give a big shout-out to my followers and fellow bloggers who have been supportive to the blog’s growth. Thank you very much!

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Looking back to the night of June 27, 2016 when I published my first post in “Introducing Me, and the Pensive Reverie!” I had made a humble goal to reach at least 100 followers on the blog. Three years have flown since then, and having achieved this goal, I’m now even more motivated to further expand and build this blog, not to mention update my personal profile and status! That first blog post began with the question, “Who am I?” Three years down the road, I can now confidently ask myself a different question (one that builds on its predecessor), “Who do I intend to become?”

My name is Ajay Peter Manuel. I live in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, my home. I hail from Madurai, Tamil Nadu, India. As a teenager, I traveled around the world with my family. I would complete my elementary education at Cairo, Egypt, followed by my secondary studies at Khartoum, Sudan. I was around 19 years old when I first set foot in Edmonton to begin my higher studies at the University of Alberta. Following the completion of my undergraduate studies in Astrophysics, I would self-publish my autobiography, Our Last Summer: A Personal Memoir, in the summer of 2013. With the book’s publication I would acknowledge an annoyingly persistent identity crisis, and in the years that followed, with the help of my loved ones and friends, overcome the greatest obstacle in my life: myself.

Having learned the price of freedom and individuality, I embraced the mistakes and regrets of my past, learned to live my present, and to happily look towards the future without fear and hesitation.  caption

This journey would culminate in the publication of a second book in A Little Bit of Everything, a treasure trove of memories involving the friends and family who had helped me along my journey, and most importantly my partner and soulmate. Back then, I wished to become an individual who “integrated his various passions in education, innovation, writing, art, music, science, critical thinking, accompanied with an endless appetite for life” and I continue to work hard on that front.

I’m happy to say that I have found my true-calling in becoming a writer and an artist. As I currently pursue a doctoral degree, I intend to further hone my skills on both these fronts, so that I may one day reach my penultimate goal of “sun-lighting” as a prominent science writer, and “moon-lighting” as a writer/comic book artist and animator. My dreams remain as far-fetched as they usually have been, but I can’t deny that as an individual my journey with The Pensive Reverie has motivated me to meet these challenges head-on, and with confidence.

Settling into the fourth year of this blog, I intend to stick to its original message in sharing my life’s adventures, hobbies, and interests. For all incoming and future visitors, I welcome you to read and engage with me on the posts I have written thus far, and hope that you enjoy them. For my current friends and followers, thank you very much once again for your support!

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