The Joy of Being Unknown

Everyone talks about wanting to be seen.

To grow fast. Go viral. Be known. Famous. Big.

But I think there’s something deeply magical about being small.

Being unknown.

Being new.

When you’re new, you get to play.

You can experiment in public. Test things, mess them up, try again, switch things up altogether.

You can try on different styles and genres, write under different pen names, whisper weird thoughts into the void.

You can be unapologetically new in your craft, without tripping over your own fame or trying to protect a brand before it’s even born.

There’s freedom in that.

In writing messy little posts like this.

In figuring out your voice before the spotlight finds you.

In building slowly and learning who you are while you create, not after.

These are the things no one mentions when people give you marketing tips or tell you to blow up on TikTok or other social media platforms. As if we all want the pressure of going viral.

Nah.

Honestly?

I love being new.

I love that I can write anything I want in my own little corner of the internet.

That I can share my chaotic thoughts, jump between themes, test new formats, and just… be real while I figure myself out.

Because how many of us actually have ourselves figured out?

Even more so for a writer. Where you start is so very often not where you end up.

And every time I post, I get a little closer.

I’m getting clearer on my voice.

Clearer on what I want to say.

And one day, when I am ready for a larger stage, I’ll have a whole body of work behind me—not polished and perfect, but lived-in. Earned. Wild. Me.

So to everyone who’s been here from the start: thank you.

Thanks for reading my strange little blogs and essays.

Thanks for reading my earlier books and short stories and supporting my work.

Thanks for sticking with me while I shift, stumble, and shape.

And if you’re still in the early phase—if you’re writing into the void or creating just for the joy of it—this is your reminder:

• It’s good to be unknown.

• It’s a gift to have the freedom to grow without pressure.

• Your obscurity is not a weakness. It’s a greenhouse. One that can be very fun and peaceful.

Take your time.

You'll step out when you're ready.

If you want to.

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I’ve written as Sarah Kate Ishii for a long time. She was my explorer. But Sarah Caelan is my anchor, my fire, and the name I’ll be writing under from here on. Welcome to the new era.

Where old Celtic stone and roots meet the wild sea. In book form.

Launching My Podcast: From the Author’s Chair!

When I first decided to record an audiobook version of my fantasy novel, Origin Curse, I thought, “How hard can it be?”

Umm, harder than I expected! 😅

But that’s exactly why I started From the Author’s Chair—a podcast where I narrate my book while also sharing what it’s really like being an indie author. I knew it would be hard (just not that thinglaunching-my-podcast-from-the-author’s-chairs would take this long. And I wanted to challenge myself. To learn new skills in the usual DIY indie author fashion.

It’s been an adventure already, and I’m only a couple of episodes in.

So, let’s talk about:

• What you’ll find in these first episodes

• What I’ve learned so far (including my 3 AM recording struggles!)

• Why this whole process has changed how I see writing

Episode 1: Kicking Off the Journey & Chapter 1 of Origin Curse

The very first episode of From the Author’s Chair was all about starting something new. I wanted to create a space where I could share both my book and my indie author experience in a real, unfiltered way.

In Chapter 1 of Origin Curse, the story begins, and I also got my first taste of recording challenges—figuring out how to narrate my own book without feeling totally awkward. (It took not even a minute. I was totally awkward 😂)

In real life, I could talk for days. But put me in front of a camera or even just a mic and I suddenly freeze up. And words? What are they? My tongue felt weird in my mouth and I forgot how to pronounce words I say every day.

And time? If it takes me, say, 15 minutes to read chapter 1 to myself. It takes like four times as long to narrate. In the time you realise you have to slow down when you speak so anyone can understand you (hard enough as it is. My ADHD brain just rattles ahead.), you then stumble over a word, slip up, or give yourself the wrong cadence to say the next phrase.

Cue starting that bit over again.

But it was all worth it, and episode 1 actually made it out into the world!

If you missed it, you can listen to Episode 1 here on Youtube, or click here for other platforms.

Episode 2: Omens, Unexpected Noises, & Learning the Ropes

By Episode 2, I started getting a little more comfortable. The suspense in Origin Curse was rising—a strange noise on the wind, an entourage of horses approaching the castle, and something Yoshiko wasn’t expecting. Meanwhile, I was learning a LOT behind the mic.

Check out Episode 2 here for Youtube and here for other platforms.

Things I Didn’t Expect to Learn About Recording

🎙️ Recording at 3 AM is the only way to get silence. My house is old, and in Australia, that means paper-thin walls. Recording even a little later means birds singing, tradies revving their utes on the many main roads around my streets, and my toddler deciding now is the perfect time to hang out with Mum. Cute, but not great for audio when he's trying to play with the mic!

🎙️ I used to record intros and outros separately—because they made me nervous?! For some reason, narrating my book felt fine, but recording intros and outros made me freeze up! Now I’m getting smoother at doing everything in one go. Post chapter four, that is. Until then, I'm so sorry for any changes in audio when moving between the intro, main chapter, and the outro. I'm getting used to things!

🎙️ You hear EVERYTHING. My laptop’s mousepad? Yep, the mic picks that up. Something I didn't even realise. Before, I was just scrolling down the page to see the next bit as if it was nothing. Now I have to re-learn timing on scrolling. Me shuffling in my chair? Also heard loud and clear. And in Episode 3, my stomach kept grumbling (!) because I thought I could record before eating. Lesson learned: Never record on an empty stomach.

🎙️ Editing takes SO much longer than I thought. I’ve started using little tricks to speed things up—like the finger click method (click when you mess up so you can find the mistake easily in editing!) and punch and roll recording, which I’ll be using in later episodes. But other than that, it's hours to fix up just 25 mins (finished time) of podcast. I hope I'll get quicker at this or that the punch and roll technique someone told me about helps reduce that.

🎙️ Recording is making me a better writer. I love immersive description, but when reading aloud, long, flowing sentences can make you run out of breath. Now, I want to blend that immersive style with shorter, punchier sentences to make it flow better in narration. How interesting to discover this.

What’s Next? Episode 3 & Beyond!

I’m a few chapters ahead in recording than I am in editing, so there’s plenty to keep up with! From tomorrow, I'll be starting to edit the audio for Chapter 3 of Origin Curse and also for recording the audio for chapter 5—and hopefully avoiding chair shuffles and stomach rumbles. 😂

If you’re enjoying the podcast, subscribe wherever you listen (it's available on Youtube and all major podcast sources) and follow me on social media (@SarahKateIshii) to stay updated! If you have any questions—about indie publishing, writing, or just surviving audiobook recording—let me know, and I’ll try to answer them in future episodes.

Thanks for joining me on this journey—happy reading, stay creative, and see you in the next episode!

Finding Small Moments For You

Where are the small slots of time in your day you don’t even realise exist?

We often feel like there’s not enough time for what we want to do.

After work, commuting, chores, family or pet responsibilities, and personal hygiene swallow up most of our day, what’s left?

Maybe you manage to work out a few times a week, but that’s a stretch, and everything else sucks up time.

Lately, I’ve been carving out time for small habits.

On my commute, I squeeze in extra writing by typing on my phone while I walk to the train and during the ride. It’s slower, harder—but that extra word count adds up.

At work, I use breaks for five minutes of Japanese vocab practice or engaging on my author socials. A few comments while walking to fill my water bottle. A quick round of Anki vocab reviews.

On the way home, I study, listen to podcasts, or read.

In the evening, I journal and stretch with my 2YO. He scribbles while I write. He attempts stretches while I stretch. It’s fun, and I get to do it too!

These are all tiny moments—5 to 15 minutes here and there. Sometimes less. But over time, they build up.

Progress feels slow. But then I look back—when I finish an online course, a book, or when I hit the 75% mark in my WIP and get to that grisly moment all-hell-breaks-loose and I just want to keep writing. When I don't want my commute to end and start working yet because I'm in the flow.

So where are those small moments in your day? How can you make them easier to use?

Maybe you work from home and could sneak in workouts between tasks—Pomodoro timer, a few sets of weights in the break. By the end of the day, you’ve done a full workout.

My husband keeps a book in the kitchen. While waiting for the kettle to boil or food to heat, he reads a few paragraphs.

Little by little, these moments add up.

And often, the time we think we don’t have is hiding in plain sight.

So, where are those moments for you? And how do you want to enjoy them?

I'd love to see a world where we all get to do little snippets of things that bring us joy and remind us life isn’t just one endless cycle of work and responsibilities.

#LifeLessons #SmallHabits