I am a writer!

A sweet daydream I've had throughout my adult life has been to step off a plane in Hawaii and have a lei placed around my neck. I've seen that in movies and have always thought it magical, so as I walked into the banquet hall at Crimebake this year, and a pink lei was placed around my neck, it did feel magical. Some people can't sit down to write without their coffee, a special hat or even a stuffed animal sitting atop the computer. Well, I have a pink lei! I wear it when I write and since November have felt lost without it, so thank you, to the Crimebake committee for choosing a tropical theme for our banquet this year.

A few days ago, I looked at some of my short stories and a few chapters of a novel I'm writing. Maybe it was my frame of mind, maybe my stories aren't half bad, but I've decided to give it the old college try - again. I made a list of the steps I need to take in order to get published and began taking those steps, because as the saying goes, if not now, when?

~ Onward 

Better Late Than Never

I'm a FLASHWORDS winner!

WHAT!!?? 

It's true. While on vacation in Key West, I received an e-mail saying that I was a winner. I couldn't believe it and I was so happy. But, it gets better. My friend, Margo, was also a winner. 

WHAT!!??

We couldn't tell anyone until the winners were announced at the Crimebake banquet, so neither of us knew about the other until that night!

 It was so exciting. We read our stories in front of approximately three hundred attendees and I wasn't the least bit nervous. I was too happy. Actually, I was thrilled to death. Get it? SinC, death... ha ha.

I just find it so hard to believe that I didn't get right on this sucker and blog about WINNING! 

Actually, and I can't explain why, I haven't written much at all since then. Oh, sure, a few things here and there, but for the most part I seem to have abandoned all the characters I love so much.

It's time to get back into the swing of things so Rosie can get on with her life.  I registered for a Scrivener class in August with SinC NE., but I couldn't keep up.  I had hoped that the program would help me get more organized. I'll try again.

Anyway, Margo won Flashwords again, last November. I loved watching her read her story up there - on the stage - without me. Ha ha.  She was so confident and I got all choked up. She did great! My story didn't make the cut this time.  I'll try again this year.

In the meantime, I'll take a few days to sit and look at what I have. Really look. I have a few questions to ask myself and a few decisions to make. Am I really a writer? Do I have what it takes to go all the way? Is it the rejection I fear, or the acceptance? Hmm… I'll never know unless I follow through to the end. So, here I go. Time for some truth-telling. I'll be back with the answers.

Till then ~

Dianne