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Two Yrs. and Going Strong

I don't question whether divine intervention lead me to Writing.com. Two years ago today, I put the key words "copyrights creative writing" into my Google search engine and hit "enter." The first link to pop up was Writing.com; I clicked and never left!

In two years, I've made giant strides in my writing craft. I tell people I've learned more here than a masters program could have taught me. The friends I've made are many and I hold them close to my heart. I think about them, worry about them when I know they're facing difficult challenges in their personal lives, and look forward to hearing from them each day. But one of the most exciting aspects of my experience at WDC has been competing in the contests offered here.

I counted them up. I've written twenty-eight short stories for contests in two years. That's not counting the three book items in my port holding daily entries for contests lasting two weeks. Plus, I've penned five poems for contests. I've written more in two years at WDC than all other years combined. I owe my growth as a writer to this site, the contests its members hold, and the reviews those members offer to its entrants. I am eternally grateful!

I've reached a place in my journey where I have more confidence in my skills than ever before. I trust my imagination. My muse and I have a strong working relationship. I'm ready to take the next step. Thanks to Nanowrimo, the first draft of the novel that's been outlined for eighteen months now is finally making its (computer) screen debut. The draft is rough Ooh, baby, is it ever rough! So.....

2010 will be the year I work on rewrites. After November, I'll have a better idea how many chapters I'll be dealing with, although I already know there will be some restructuring of this monster along the way. Each month I'll work on X number of chapters, for as long as it takes. My goal is to have a final draft manuscript. I don't know whether or not I'll peddle it off to agents; it's just too soon to tell if it will be good enough for publication. But I know there's more than one novel in this noggin of mine, and I see Overcome (working title ) as my learning arena. It's the project that is already teaching me just how different a novel is from a short story!

Today, thought, I'm celebrating Writing.com. What a wonderful community this is! I love the site, the people who gather here each day, and the opportunity to have my work read and reviewed. Most of all, I love being part of that community, interacting with my peers and commenting on their work. I am inspired everyday by all of you!!

Here's to many more great years to come! Vive Writing.com!