In sixth grade, I won an award for an essay for a contest sponsored by the Daughters of the American Revolution. That was the beginning of my desire to be a writer. Through high school, I stuck to essays and short stories, then moved on to poetry in college. It was the time of singer-songwriters, and poetry filled the air. I was inspired by some of the greatest.
I had some small success with my poetry; getting published in literary magazines and poetry collections. There was a lot to learn about markets, formats, and basic ‘manners.’ Like including a self addressed, stamp envelope if you wanted your submission returned. (Anyone remember those days?)
But at some point the poetry dried up and I needed to find another way to express myself. That was about the same time I stumbled across NaNoWriMo. You’ve probably heard of it, where people attempt to write a book in a month. Or at least 50,000 words of one. Well, I gave it a try. And I didn’t ‘win.” But I got hooked.
I’m currently working on my eighth book for publication. (I have several that will never be published in their current form.) And all those years spent as a poet gave me the courage to go indie and do it on my own. Sure, I had to learn a whole new set of rules, but I’m not one to back down from a challenge. (To find out more about my books, check out the other pages of my website.)
Anyway, that was my journey. I’m willing to bet there are other similar stories in this hop. I’m about to find out!