Welcome to "One Night: The Merge." If you didn't read the description, this is my first story. Untouched, unedited in the last eight years. This was the first story I'd ever completed (alongside "The End," but I'm not comfortable posting that one again. Too many issues). I know there are grammar and spelling mistakes, but I won't fix them. That would defeat the purpose of this post.

Again, I've written so much other stuff in the last eight years, a lot of which has been taken down because it didn't live up to my personal expectations (or other reasons). If this is the first book of mine that you're reading, don't expect greatness. In fact, anything you read after this will be amazing by comparison. 

I'm posting this as a sort of "archive." Too many people give up on their writing dreams too early. I'm not a good writer. I could never write like X, Y, or Z. I'm just not creative. People have a habit of pushing themselves down enough that they don't allow themselves to grow. They don't give themselves the time, love, or patience to improve to a point where they can really be proud of themselves.

By sharing this, I hope people will see my first completed work, see another one of my stories, and better understand just how long this journey is. Patience is key. Self-love is key. You might not be the best. You might not even be great at writing. But what's important is that you started and you're trying. And if you wake up every morning, and you give your dream an honest shot, and you work towards it (even slowly), then you could never truly fail. You'll get where you want eventually, and you just need to be aware of that. I'm living proof of that. The people who inspired me on a daily basis are proof of that. Nobody is born a best-selling author. Nobody is born with their dream body. Nobody is born with all the skills they could ever want. It just takes time.

Give yourself that time.