Since I retired, I have been putting more time and effort into my writing. I am working diligently on getting published and am finding the process much more daunting that I had imagined. First, I love to write, truly it is a passion, but actually immersing myself into it as I should daily has been a challenge. I don't really know why. I just can find a billion distractions. Have I mentioned my dislike for Facebook, Pinterest and Candy Crush. Seriously, hours have been lost to nothingness thanks to those sites specifically. Hours I can never recoup. It's awful and addictive.
Lately, I have been seeking writing jobs in addition to working on my own editing of my book. Yes, I wrote a book - the working title is "A Glimmer of Hope" and it will be available on Amazon soon I hope. I also have a children's book being illustrated called "Hannah's Hanukkah". The latter placed 25th (or there about) in Writer's Digest Fiction contest several years ago. I've actually had a few of my works awarded. I also had an article place 27th in the same year. It was about wedding planning.
My first published work was in 1970. I was ten. My fourth grade teacher entered a poem I had written in class for publication in NJEA magazine and they published it. I had know idea that years later I'd be looking back on that thinking, why haven't I tried to publish anything since then. Rejection? Fear? Complacency? All of the above? Probably the latter is most true, but also there is a life and a job and a busy schedule that derailed a career as a writer. I had a steady full time career. Writing was a hobby, not a job and I couldn't risk my income for the possibility of an income. I had a family to support, so it was back-burnered until now.
So for the past few months, I've been upgrading blog entries. Trying to improve posting regularly. Still a work in progress. I also have been setting aside days to work on writing. And I have been engaged in finding writing work. I also entered a short story contest. Not because I like writing short stories specifically, although I do, but because I was intrigued by the weird rules. The rules were you had 24 hours to write a short story. The topic and length of story was revealed at the start of the 24 hours and you had to write, edit, and enter your story before the 24 hours elapsed. Now, that is a challenge. So I gave it a try. My first attempt and I placed 3rd. I won a little money $200.00 AND was published in their weekly newsletter. Check my story out at Writer's Weekly Magazine online.
Watch out Stephen King - I'm comin' for you. (wink wink!) It should be noted I am a huge King fan and he cannot stop writing. His bizarre sense of dark humor and metaphor is unmatched. I look forward to every new novel with great anticipation. I can only hope that someday I will have fans who have the same desire and excitement about my works.
