Got to give a nod of thanks to all of you who took time to read my inaugural post.   Your interest and support is greatly appreciated.  What up?  You can’t see me now, but my hands are in the air, giving it up to y’all.


Okay, now–if you remember from my first post, I got a hankering to write a novel, way back in 2003.  Looking back, I don’t know what I was thinking.  Back then, I worked full time in Labor & Delivery, on the night shift no less, I had an eight year old, a sophomore in high school and my oldest out on a ship for the Navy.  To further complicate life, I had the not so brilliant idea to go back to school for my bachelors in Nursing and, without pausing to take a breath, I plowed ahead with grad school.  Crazy?–I agree.


Those early years of my life were consumed by boys, bills, books and ballgames.   Life consisted of chasing kids around, getting into debt, hanging out at stadiums or ballparks to watch my husband or sons play ball and…the never ending pursuit of uninterrupted time to study.  That, I only found late at night, and it came at the expense of my sleep and sadly, my waistline.   And yes, there was a whole lot of joy along the way.  Like I said, I’ve been blessed with a wonderful life, and even managed to accomplish a couple of things along the way.


Hey, I’m not telling you anything that you don’t already know.  Many of you are there now, knee deep in the muck of all that is good, and bad, when living the American dream of having it all–career & family.  And, by the way, you can’t really ever have it–all, that is.   What you focus on will flourish and what you neglect, will usually… spiral out of control.  But hey, what are you gonna do?  


Learn to juggle and try not to judge yourself too harshly.   


Fast forward to 2012 and imagine my surprise, when I sat down to start my novel, pulled out an old jump drive and found a few ragged scenes that I had written, way back in 2003.  Now, don’t get me wrong, I tried numerous times to write this damn book.  I even put the cart ahead of the horse once in 2008, and bought Jeff Herman’s Guide Book.  For those of you who aren’t familiar with it, it is published annually and lists the genre and contact information for current book publishers, editors and literary agents.  You can find it online or at your local bookstore.   Note to self:  purchase new 2012 edition.


What a joke?  Que no?  At the time, I hadn’t written anything other than those few scraggly, disconnected scenes.   My point however, is that I never forgot that I yearned to write a novel.  It was always there.  Sometimes it was nothing more than a faint recollection, likened to a barely lit ember.   Other times, it burned brightly like red, hot coal, needing only my attention to ignite, and burst into flame.


And that, my fellow writers, is exactly what happened in February of this year, when I made the decision to sit down, and seriously try to write my novel.   It hasn’t been easy, but  I am beginning to see the finish line way out on the horizon.


Then the real work will begin.  The rewrite.  It has been said that novels aren’t written, they are rewritten.  Me?  I can’t wait to begin the rewrite, because that will mean, at some point, I got to write those two sweet words: The End.


Next Post:  Can’t come up with a story idea?  aka.  Look no further than your family, coworkers & friends.


Your Task:  Evaluate your current set of circumstances.  Is it reasonable to take on a project as big as writing a novel?  If not, try writing a short story, an outline,  synopsis, or even just a couple of scenes.  Someday, when you surface for air,  you can flesh out those ideas and transform them into your novel.  


Speaking of finish lines….I won’t be adding another post to my blog until sometime next week.


Why you ask?  Well, I am getting ready to play the tortoise in the age old fable of the Tortioise and the Hare.   This weekend, I will be running, well, walk–running (shhh) the RAGNAR Wasatch Back.   Our humble team of twelve, will be dividing up the 197.4 scenic miles between Logan and Park City, Utah.


Remember when I told you that I had a reluctant inner athlete as an alter ego?  Well right about now, she is looking for an excuse not to run.  Any excuse will do.   Signing off now… I think I feel a sore throat coming on (cough, cough).