You Did That

If you’re reading this…this post is meant for you.

In high school I wrote a short story to impress a girl.  That story ended up getting me an A+, urged to enter some writing contests, and nudged towards contributing to our school newspaper.

I did that.

Approximately four years ago I succumbed to an urge.  It was something that bubbled up out of nowhere, lying dormant in me for a very long time, and I simply couldn’t get out of my mind or ignore.   As a result I wrote my first piece of fiction since my senior year of high school.  It was a short story that I never let anybody ever read.

I did that.

Six months later I wrote another short story, and this time I worked up enough courage to let my wife read it.  She loved it and encouraged me to pursue this quiescent passion even further.  I took that second short story and turned it into a full-blown, one-hundred-thirty-five thousand word novel.  

I did that.

After deciding to get more serious about the whole publication process, I did some research and realized my first book needed a lot of work before I could even consider moving forward.  So that book got shelved and I wrote another one.  A better one.

I did that.

Somewhere along the way I found the blogs.   With that discovery came a very different understanding of who I was, and what I was trying to become.  I read about your struggles, your success stories, your hard-earned tips nonchalantly passed along, and the endless supply of positive energy that buoyed me during times of self-doubt.  I linked up with awesome critique partners and beta readers that helped turn my ugly-duckling novel into the beautiful swan it is.

I am now querying that second novel.

You did that.

During this season of thanks…I thank you!  No matter what happens from this point forward, I’ll be eternally grateful to each and every one of you!

If you haven't voted for WRiTE CLUB Round 3 yet, you can do that here.  Also, don't forget about the Deja Vu Blogfest.

Happy Thanksgiving!  DL :)