Just Write

I have written and deleted several opening lines to this first blog post. That's as good an example as any of being a writer. Trying, and often failing, to find the exact right words to convey a certain feeling or atmosphere. My hope was to open this blog with some inspiring opening statement to hook the reader and want them to read more. Instead, I've started by confessing how incredibly inept I am at doing just that!

I've started this blog to chronicle my journey as I play at being a writer. To share the ups and downs, triumphs and frustrations, as I navigate the uncertain road towards being a published author.

The great thing about this journey is that I have no idea how it will turn out. Just like any story I write, I am on an adventure with an uncertain future. Publishing this blog may be as close as I ever come to the publishing world, but that's okay. I read a blog earlier today written by self-published author, and she titled the post, "Write like no one is reading." I immediately adopted the phrase, with credit to Megg Jensen. To me, a true writer doesn't write to sell books or impress people. They write because it's who they are, what they must do. There are stories and characters and adventures that they must get out.

I have been writing for years, just little things here and there. I've never been brave enough to try to get even a short story published in a magazine. In third grade I won the state of Iowa writing contest for my age group. That is my crowning achievement. The story was called "Jenny the Tooth" and was about a loose tooth that fell out of a girl's mouth and went on an adventure.

I recently finished my first full-length novel, called "Me, My Sister, and I." (This is a working title...I'm not in love with it, but it works for now.) The process of researching agents and submission guidelines for each, writing query letters and expecting rejections has been daunting, but I've found my courage. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

So that is a loose introduction to this blog. I will try to update with my progress on my agent search, as well as on one of the other four projects I have in the works. If nothing else, I'm hoping this blog is something I can look back on to see for myself how far I've come. I hope you'll join me on this journey!