It's Time.

I used to be a voracious writer. Twenty-five years ago, I had big plans. Creative writing. Journalism. Historical biographer. Poetry. In my high school and college years, I did all of that to a certain extent. But after graduating from college, I had no clear path to follow it through, and I eventually ended up losing my way from all of it. My first non-retail job outside of college was at a local newspaper, where I ended up mostly 'writing' obituaries. In the movie Closer, Jude Law's character refers to writing obituaries as the 'Siberia of Journalism.' That is so incredibly accurate. To say it was a depressing and off-putting experience is an understatement.

Not surprisingly, I did not last long at that job, and by that time, I was newly engaged and looking for more financial stability as I entered the next phase of my life. Unfortunately, this meant that I would end up stifling and ultimately ignoring my creative voice. I deeply regret that decision, and my plan is to remedy that here and now.

I've located a few writing contests that are coming up between now and the end of the year. I'm going to enter those, choosing to focus on creative writing/fiction and perhaps poetry for now. While it would be wonderful to win, my actual point is to stick to the process and see it through. I just need to write. My biggest hurdle has always been discipline. Hence, mercurial. I've always had the creativity, but the drive and desire has been in vast fits and spurts. I think it's time to revisit this aspect of myself and cultivate something new. I just might end up surprising myself. 😊