Life is an adventure. . . .

A quest for happiness, a quest for knowledge, a quest for comfort, a quest for peace. . . I could go on. I need to step back and take a long look at how I’ve been viewing the world, myself, and my writing. Through past blogs, it is evident I’ve been approaching my writing as a chore, another task that must be done before the day is over. It is wrong. I need to remember the passion for the words, the stories, and the joy of putting just the right words in order. That is what got me started in the first place.

I can still remember four years ago when I picked up the pencil and wrote the opening sentence to Chapter 1 of my first novel. How excited I was when the storyline came to me, out of the blue, as if dictated to my head from a higher power. I lost myself in the power of my creative source and the words came so fast from my mind that my hand could barely keep up.

I can also remember when I first stumbled into a writer’s forum called Writers Net. I took in every word that was posted and although I was considered a “newbie” I prided myself on having the wisdom to decide which advice I could use and what I could disregard. I thank my years in the left-brained business world for the gift to delve into the bullshit and come out with something useful (my cup is always half full).

There were a few posters who always gave sound advice. I’m still in contact with them on other forums now, but one person seems to have disappeared. Her name was Valerie Moreau. I do miss her expertise. I rarely participate at WN anymore. Although there is still much good advice there, I’ve moved on to the next realm where I communicate with other writers who’ve actually been published. I feel more comfortable with these folks.

I have grown as a writer and I have my many writer cyber-friends to thank. One can rarely go about it all alone. But along with my growth as an artist comes the tedium of the business. I know I must educate myself with publication but it will no longer envelope me to the point I can no longer create.

The rains from Jeanne poured down all night long and the electricity went off at least twice. It is a wonder I made it to work on time, but I did.

I haven't heard anything from any of my submissions.

I finished Issue 17 of Blood on an Appalachian Sunset and sent it off to the editor. I’ve decided to decrease the word count from around 2500 words to between 1500 and 1700 words. I believe that is where the pressure came from. I need to relax and let my characters lead me.

I submitted four poems yesterday: 2 to Wildchild Publishing and 2 to Storysouth. I’m still waiting for Bellevue Literary to accept or reject the last of my short stories that haven’t been published: A Day With Pepper. I submitted it on 8/25, so it has been about a month. I also submitted two other stories that have been previously published but not in print.

My goal for today is to rough out Issue 18 and get the handwritten sheets of my novel into the computer. Thank heavens for my Firelite.