A Work in Progress

When I was a kid, I always heard the adults saying things like, 'Time flies,' or 'As you get older, your life goes by in the blink of an eye.' I didn't really understand it, so I attributed it to the long list of Adult-isms that are pure nonsense to children. But as it so happens, I understand it better now.

It's been four weeks since my last post. In that last entry, I committed to posting again, and with a more regular occurrence than before, but here I am, a month later. In my defense, at least it's only been a month, and not another year. But I digress.

The woman I mentioned in my last post has been a gentle reminder to me in the past month, nudging me back to my commitment to return to writing. We haven't had a chance yet to talk at length about our work, but she has given me a few books to browse to help me along on my journey. In this last month, I've been going around in circles in my head about what I would be writing about. Not just for this blog -which is a large enough commitment on its own- but for my other writings as well.

Not many people know that I've been writing since I was around 14 years old. I originally got started writing in journals, as a way to process my life, and draw closer to God through writing to Him. It later developed into a poem for my Youth group, partial-novels that came to me in a dream, and attempts to complete the 50,000 word writing challenge present by the NaNoWriMo website for National Novel Writing Month (November).

One of those partial novels is a children's novel that I began countless years ago, and never got around to finishing. I never told anyone about it before, thinking that it was too trivial and amateur to even mention to anyone. I was embarrassed of a story I hadn't even written yet, a story that I had intended to never finish, and never let it see the light of day. I mentioned it to my new friend, and almost as if she knew what I needed before I even figured it out, she latched onto the idea as a worthy challenge. Since we met a month ago, she has focused on the idea of the children's novel, encouraged me to figure out why I haven't finished it, and brought me books about how to write my story, and get it published. Without her encouragement, I doubt I would have ever looked at the unfinished story again.

We have scheduled a meeting for this week, for us to talk about the stories we're working on, and brainstorm what steps each of us need to take to get our novels done. I'm hoping that with her encouragement, and the added accountability of having someone who knows about the novel, I will finally be able to say that I've finished the story. My goal is to get an outline written, and get as much backstory completed as I can by October 31st. Then if all goes according to plan, I will write out the novel during the month of November, and hopefully complete two challenges in one: accomplish the 50,000 word count goal for NaNoWriMo, and finish this novel that has been on the back burner for far too long. I plan to update periodically with my various accomplishments, as an added source of accountability for myself. Wish me luck!


"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord" Colossians 3:23