Part-Time Lover… I mean Writer
If the words I put on a page are not published, is it a book? Am I a writer? My writing aspirations are still a somewhat guarded secret among my friends, acquaintances and day-job co-workers. I only have a file on my computer, a dent in the seat of my office chair, and keyboard keys with the S, D and E worn out to show for my efforts. A professional writer entails having been paid for such efforts. It’s also a badge of honor, in my opinion. Without a book on the shelves of Barnes and Noble, I don’t see that I’ve earned that honor. I shy away from announcing that “I am Writer! Hear Me (or my pen) Roar!” because I’m terrified of failure. “I’m a Writer.”
Writing and Middle School Robotics
Have you ever attended a middle school robotics competition? In these competitions, there are a lot of misplaced outbursts of anger, a lot of asking “why am I even doing this?”, a lot of tears. I was recently faced with the same dilemma – continue down the path of the novel I was currently writing with very little hope of publishing OR completely start over in hopes of making something spectacular. There was definitely one night of lying in bed deciding that I was done. Done researching, done writing, done trying to make this dream come true. If my twelve-year-old can do it; so can I.
“My Aha! Moment”
Aha!
I saw the plot immediately. A woman – a prisoner in Auschwitz who had lost everything– picked the ring out of the mud…….