Dear Me,

Dear Me,

The continual bombardment during the holidays focused on New Year resolutions was overwhelming. In my opinion this yearly onslaught has effectively reduced the ritual to a mere cliché, and I'm certain that it has impeded your desire to put pen to paper and catalog those chores in need of attention. So, when I discovered this contest in my inbox, I knew it wouldn't be something that appealed to you, although I flagged it to avoid deletion. It's been quite some time since you've been brought to task on this matter.

Being a new member of WDC has been an exciting and rewarding experience; your writing has greatly benefited. Every time an insightful reviewer--like Jaye P. Marshall, AliceNgoreland, paulz, or CozyCougar--questioned your reasoning behind a certain passage, or identified an area that could be improved and then offered a word of encouragement, the dire speculation of that waving flag in my mailbox irritated you to no end. You've spent a year looking for a site to call home: one that you could navigate and has everything you need, and more.

Then it hit me, like a Zen moment.

The StoryMaster knew that the writer in you would not let this assignment go undone. His prompt--for the here and now--was to keep you moving in the right direction by promoting self-examination and inspiration. Hey, if I write it down, it just might help. It probably will help. Ok. It will help. There, I said it. That wasn't so bad.

You have a query letter that needs revised, a synopsis that needs streamlined, several books that you need to read, four agents that need researched, and a novel outline that needs completed. Then there's the matter of a writer's group you didn't join, because of the long drive. It's the only one available and you should bite the bullet and make the journey.

You want to be the best writer you can be, don't you?

Yes, that's the truth.

So, one resolution needs to be taken care of immediately--returning the favor to your new friends at WDC. It's January 21. You've made the deadline. It may have taken you awhile, but you did it. Thanks.

Sincerely,

Coolhand