A fellow writer's blog got me thinking...

Today, I woke up and pondered the question, "Why do I keep my pursuit of writing?" It takes so much time and thought and effort and frankly, it's exhausting! So why continue with a craft that takes so much and gives so little with no guarantee that you'll end up with any sort of reward?

Ironically, when I hopped onto Twitter today, I saw the tweet by LM Preston that directed me to her blog which got me thinking even more. Her post matched my thoughts, so I won't repeat them. (Go and read her blog)

So why do I keep writing? The answer is simple, it's something for me. I'm a stay-at-home mom and I homeschool my four children. Over the years I have given up crafts, gym workouts and other activities so I could better balance my time and focus on my family. After a decade of self-sacrifice, and as rewarding as this blessing is, I've learned that I really need to do something just for me. I need an activity that I can do that will better me in the process.

As challenging as writing is, it's a challenge between me and only me. The more I learn and push myself, the better my writing will be, the better chance I will have to share it with others. I love this sort of challenge and it's exactly the sort of activity I needed this time in my life. Especially since I can work on it when the kids are asleep or if I leave it out, the toddler can't poke, mess, lose or do anything that would harm him or the project...as long as I leave the laptop locked or off when unattended.

My Year in Vlogs

I'm a late bloomer. It wasn't until a few years ago that I discovered my love for reading, and only last year did I realize this love transcended to writing. If I could go back in time, I would change this little fact about me.

For a couple of years, I had a story idea bouncing around in my head. Of course, not being a writer, I dismissed the thought. But the thought had a mind of it's own and it frequently began to visit me. Ironically, during this haunting time, I had been following an author, Kaleb Nation, on Twitter and YouTube. Watching his journey was inspiring.

My journey started one evening last spring, I found myself at the computer and I began typing the first chapter of my first novel. I didn't know what I was doing, I didn't know the rules, I was just capturing the movie that played in my head. Five weeks later, the novel was completed. Little did I know what work lie ahead as I immersed myself into the wonderful world of writing.

Online chats with other writers, following agent chats on Twitter, WriteOnCon, critique partners, conferences, books on writing... anything I could watch, participate in or get my hands on, I was there. I have learned so much this past year, and I can safely say my writing has improved. I'm far from the writer I was when I started this journey and I have so much more to learn.

I thought I would include in my first post a compilation of vlogs I did over the past year. They capture a bit about my writing journey since the beginning and give a little insight to who I am.