As I moved from planning my e lit project into actually creating it, I quickly realized I had taken on more than I fully understood. I began searching for platforms and tools, only to discover that I had no idea how to use RenPy, Twine, or anything remotely connected to coding. I had never written a line of code in my life, yet here I was trying to build an interactive digital love story.

This is where the perks of teaching tech-savvy students came in. One of my students teased me for not knowing how to use Twine and insisted that there was no way I could use RenPy without learning to code first. Instead of feeling discouraged, it motivated me. She spent an entire week showing me how things worked, and I slowly learned the basics of CSS, JavaScript, and variables.

I am still figuring out how to embed images and occasionally break something by accident, but the progress I’ve made feels huge. More than anything, I’m proud that I didn’t back down from the challenge. This project is pushing me to grow in ways I didn’t expect, and even with its frustrations, it’s becoming something I’m genuinely excited about.

Onward to the final step.