Most times, college athletes struggle immensely to find a hobby or connect with something they love to do outside of the game because of a long season, training sessions, class schedules and the way life seems to just steal time away. Florida Southern sophomore James Forbes used the most of a rare opportunity where his busy schedule was stripped away for a short period of time to pursue something he had always been curious about: writing. 

Forbes grew up bouncing between Winter Park and his hometown of Boca Raton, chasing soccer with the kind of energy only an eight-year-old could. He played for Orlando City's academy and other local teams, then shifted to South Florida at 13 to join the MLS Next. By 16, he was trialing with Inter Miami. When that door didn't open, he didn't wait around. His mother's Spanish citizenship meant he had the passport, so he made a decision he thought was simple: go to Spain.

He said the move was "more for soccer." The original plan was a year, but one year became five. He finished high school through the International Baccalaureate program, took a gap year, then stayed another two years playing at a university while trying to go pro. His family had differing reactions to his drastic decision to move out of the country. His Spanish grandparents were thrilled, while his parents stayed in Boca and found the distance extremely difficult. Still, they fully supported him and his dreams. 

In Spain, he saw a different kind of soccer; one built on tactics, identity and pressure from a young age. "Spain is very different because it's much more of a tactically sound environment," Forbes said. "There's a very big national identity of how to play, and the kids grow up playing with relegation and promotion systems since they're ten or so. There's things on the line." Even local third-division teams had players who amazed him. The talent pool, he said, "is just absurd."

Over time, he learned to adapt and communicate. Learning Spanish was essential, but speaking it confidently on the field was another challenge. For a while, he played almost mute, self-conscious about every word until he realized he couldn't keep going that way at higher levels. "You have to be talking and verbal," he said. "Especially within Spanish culture."

Forbes' willingness to jump into the unknown didn't stop at soccer. It became a pattern. "I think the biggest thing is just to try things out," he said. Spain was supposed to be a few months; it turned into years. That mindset eventually led him to something unexpected: writing.

It began during severe floods in Valencia that paused classes and training. Stuck in his tiny apartment for weeks, he decided to write. He'd always been a "nerd," as he put it—into Star Wars, fantasy worlds and always daydreaming characters and stories he never wrote down. Initially, he wanted to make a comic book. However, he flipped to writing immense fantasy novels because "I couldn't draw", he said comedically. The early chapters were "rough", but he kept going. Over time, he built a world, a cast of characters, then antagonists and finally the rules that made it all make sense.

He said his inspiration came from media like Avatar: The Last Airbender and Eragon, things that he grew up enjoying. "I was like, it'd be cool if animals could talk," he said, laughing. That simple idea spiraled into a full fantasy universe. After his first draft, he realized he needed a rulebook for the magic and spent months building maps, systems and hundreds of spells. Although readers would never see them fully, he needed to keep the world consistent. "It gets pretty deep," he said.

Writing in class became a routine. Spanish university was rigid: two-hour classes, no laptops or phones and long days from 8 to 2:30, followed by late-night training that sometimes would not begin until nine. He filled notebooks with ideas, building his world between programming lessons and lectures. After months of hard work, he's a self-published author. The first time he held a physical copy, he said, "was really surreal." Seeing his name on a book was "crazy," especially after keeping the project secret from friends and family for months.

As far as the creative process goes, drafting is his favorite part. "It gives you the creative freedom to do anything you want. You can even take risks with what you write because you can always go back and change it later if it does not fit." Editing, on the other hand, he hates. With long manuscripts and limited resources, it's a grind. "It feels like you're digging a never-ending hole," he said. But, he pushes through because he loves the work. He finished proofreading his second book in his series, took a day off, and started writing the third.

The most difficult part of writing wasn't actually the action itself. It was an internal struggle. Forbes had to redefine how he saw himself. For years, he thought of himself only as an athlete. Writing allowed himself to accept there was more to him than that. "There's more to me than just being an athlete," he said. Once he accepted it, he stopped hiding it. Now, it's part of who he is. The biggest thing life has taught him, he said, is that "everything lines up in our lives for a reason." He believes everyone has a purpose they don't see until it happens. A missed opportunity with Inter Miami, an injury, a flood in Valencia; all those moments aligned to put him in the right place at the right time to discover something he loves. "You never know what's gonna happen," he said. "Things that might seem terrible or scary at first might be very good for you long term."

Forbes' story isn't just about soccer or writing, it's about saying yes to the unknown. Living in Spain for years wasn't planned. Becoming a published author wasn't planned. But both happened because he was willing to try. "I'd rather try and fail than not try at all," he said. That mindset took him across an ocean, into a new language and culture, becoming a published author and eventually part of one of the most successful soccer teams in Florida Southern's history.

After completing his first book of his series, entitled The Spirit Cycle, he is nearly complete with publishing its sequel, The Splinters of Fate. His first book, The Whispers of the Mistwood, can be found on Amazon and be read either physically or digitally.