Notre Dame High School
Titan
Times
Editor-in-Chief Statement | January 2026
MY LATEST BOOK By: Minh lai Editor-in-Chief, Junior
Hello, ND Community! My name is Minh Lai, and I am currently a Junior. As part of my final statement as Editor-in-Chief of the Titan Times, I would like to personally share with all of you a piece I have dedicated a lot of time and energy towards. On January 3rd, after years of writing and planning out my first novel—and second book—I was able to finally achieve what I thought would never happen! Getting a fantasy book published was definitely a struggle, especially when it consists of nearly eight hundred pages. However, the experience was worth it despite the many struggles endured. I learned a great deal not just from the creative process but so too amid having to plan out a consistent schedule and retain as much motivation as was necessary to achieve my goal. Around the middle of 2020, during the COVID pandemic, I was motivated out of boredom to take on a project that would involve my interests in history, philosophy, and literature. Initial plans for Imperium: Realm of the Fourteen Crowns were drafted around March, and the first thing I did was build my fictional world. I created a map with a free
Map of my book; refer to Page 4 for a larger version Image by Minh Lai
The cover of my latest book Image by Minh Lai cartography software—Inkarnate—filling it with various regions and drawing borders shortly after so as to demarcate the frontiers of each country. When that was done, I assigned names to said countries and began formulating individual backstories. Different civilizations were inspired off real ones and contained stories that could easily be woven together to form the immediate context behind the actual timeline of the book. Ethnic groups were made with their own cultures, clothing, traditions, backgrounds, ways of speaking, and values. Real-life animals, plants, and other aspects of nature and their interactions with humans were modified and changed to be more mystical. When the equivalent of a few hundred years of history for each culture was finished, I began drafting names inspired off languages like Latin, Hindi, and Arabic, using them to label characters and places. Because I loved history, I relied heavily on it for inspiration. Events from all over the world and from different periods helped me synthesize plotlines and complex and interesting backstories. Past figures likewise became the reflections for the kings and queens and the nobles and peasants who appeared in my book. And, of course, to make my fantasy novel— well—fantasy in nature, I added elements
like magic and absurd mythologies with deities worshipped by my characters. Being able to use the past as a model for worldbuilding and drafting the plot certainly added a natural feel to the writing process. From 2022 to 2025, I focused on converting my vision to reality. Creating and organizing chapters, I confined my plot to a sequential timeline, which was crucial in ensuring that I didn’t overwrite. For each chapter, I created a checklist that covered events I had to include. Upon completing a chapter, I would proofread—ofentimes by reading aloud to see how natural it sounded —and then review for formatting issues. My biggest challenge, apart from grammar checking and having to deal with my fluctuating writing style as I aged, was staying organized and motivated. Every weekend, I made sure to dedicate a few hours a day solely to writing. Sometimes, I would write immediately after geting home from school or after waking up. While it was definitely a risky move on my end, I also added more pressure to finish by revealing deadlines to friends and teachers who were curious about my progress. A few times, I didn’t meet my deadlines, and that incentivized me to work even harder. Even with all that, however, I admit—Imperium didn’t end with the conclusion I wanted. Of the 46 planned chapters, nine were unable to
“Jesus said to him, ‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”- Mark 9:23
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