In this episode, I sit down with fellow student Anthony “Ren” Reano to talk about the fiction stories we’ve written in college and what happens when art starts feeling a little too personal. We explore where our ideas come from: moments, emotions, real life experiences, faith, love, trauma, and the quiet “what ifs” that turn into entire worlds. Ren shares how religion shapes the universe he’s built in his writing, while I reflect on my own multiverse, including the two love stories I’ve written and how real life (and even the Archie–Betty–Veronica dynamic) influenced them more than I realized.

We talk about villains and whether they’re born from trauma, choice, or both. We unpack supporting characters, internal struggles, and how fiction can become a mirror, sometimes revealing things about us before we’re ready to confront them. As grad students navigating pressure, imposter syndrome, and identity, we also ask the bigger questions: Is storytelling a form of therapy? Does writing help us process mental health… or does it sometimes reopen wounds? And why do so many of us use fiction to say what we can’t say out loud?

At the core of this episode is one question that’s been sitting with me: if I can create entire protagonists, why am I not the main character in my own story? This conversation is honest, reflective, and a reminder that sometimes the stories we write aren’t just escapism, they’re evidence of who we are becoming. If you’ve ever written something that felt “too real,” this one’s for you.