How “The Alchemy of Ivy Mae” Began 🌱

How “The Alchemy of Ivy Mae” Began 🌱

Sometimes creative projects begin with a plan.

And sometimes they begin because you simply need somewhere for your mind to go.

Last winter was a difficult one for me. ❄️ December and January were cold, work was hard to find, and there was a lot of stress around housing and everyday survival. The house I was staying in was crowded, people were struggling with their own challenges, and everywhere I went I seemed to see the same thing — people on the edge.

On the bus. 🚌
On the streets.
In conversations.

Homelessness. Addiction. Loss. Families dealing with illness and dementia. A lot of people just trying to get through the day.

Originally The Alchemy of Ivy Mae ✨📖 was supposed to be a year-long writing project where readers could help shape the story.

But something unexpected happened.

Bundled up in a cold room, trying to stay warm 🧣, I started writing.

And I kept writing.

What began as a small idea turned into a whole world — a post-electric future where young people are rebuilding society after the Great Solar Collapse ☀️⚡. The story follows Jas, a non-binary teen discovering fragments of the old world and trying to understand how things went wrong.

In a strange way, writing it became a kind of mental health project 🧠💛 for me. Instead of focusing on the chaos around me, I focused on imagining a future where communities learn from the past and try to do things differently.

I ended up writing most of the series in about three intense weeks.

Then I scheduled the posts out slowly — at first Monday through Friday, and later with gaps — so the story could unfold over time.

The idea was that readers might help guide the story.

But I have to admit something.

I got a little greedy with the story. 😁

I kept writing.

The series is now scheduled to run until May 5, and it’s been fascinating to watch the story appear gradually online.

If you’re curious about this little experiment in storytelling, you can start here:

🌿The Alchemy of Ivy Mae 

https://thealchemyofivymae.blogspot.com/2026/03/the-net-in-sky.html?m=1

Sometimes creativity grows in the hardest seasons. 🌧️➡️🌱

And sometimes the storie we write to survive a winter end up becoming something bigger than we expected.

— Tina Winterlik (Zipolita) 📷✍️