Writing Passion

Well, writing is my passion. It's what I've been wanting to do since I was 12 years old when I realized I could write and create my own worlds or the ideas of a world that interested me. Where anything could happen.

It started easily enough. My favorite show was Fantasy Island. What's easier for a kid to write for? I wrote at least two scripts that took place on Fantasy Island. I have another than used it as a cross-over point to Battlestar Galactica which I had gotten hooked on in re-runs.

From there I branched out to short stories in 9th grade. I had the best English teacher to loved creative writing and inspired me. He would give up a sentence and we'd have to write a paragraph to it. He'd give up the beginning of a story and we'd have to finish it. Once he showed up a picture of a little waterfall and we had to write something that was at least half a page long. Mine was two pages and I could have probably pushed it to three.

In 10th grade I created my own series for TV and wrote about four or five scripts for it. I also wrote a couple of movie scripts (using the correct format finally) and several more short stories. I never did anything with any of this, but I knew I had talent. My teachers all told me I did and encouraged me.

When I was 16 and in 11th grade I was in a Senior class. Again I was inspired to write short stories. It was also when I was inspired to start writing romance. Not that I was in love with anyone attainable. My love affair was with a character on TV and I recognized it as such. To this day I still love the character Stingray on the short-lived 80s TV show. But this was also the time I started writing books and poetry. I never finished a single book I started though. Over the years I even got as far as chapter 11 in one book and just stopped as if my mind had stopped working. But then a couple of years ago a miracle happened. I FINISHED my first book!! Not only did I finish it, but I had people WAITING to read the end which had taken me a very long time. Even my kids' paternal grandmother who doesn't read romance LOVED it!! By almost everyone who has read it, I was told they just couldn't put it down. That has to say something for the story, right?

Anyway, so here I am, trying to edit it. There are 16 chapters plus an epilogue and I'm only done with the first three chapters. There are new things I'm adding and I want to correct as many mistakes as I can find, add any details that need to be added and just make it the best that it can be. But it's so difficult and exacting. However, I'm going to push forward.

Once it's done, I go on to write my query letter. Not sure what I'll do about an agent, but I'll see what I can do and if not, I'll send my manuscript directly.

On my side, it's not the only one I've completed. I have two others that are part of a quartet of stories that also needed serious editing and the third of the set halfway done. At least I can say ideas are not what I lack. Sometimes it's the determination to finish. Sometimes it's just the exacting work of editing. But this time is my time. I'm going to do this. I will finish. I will get published and I WILL make a living at it and finally know for myself that my talent is real.