Moment of Brillance!

I have missed my blog! But the start of school has been horrible for a number of reasons and the students were not any of those. But I am moving on to what I hope are better days ahead.

I haven't been writing and I know realize that although I am still very dedicated to teaching and to my students, I am a writer at heart. I grieve when I don't feel like I have time to do it.

I am doing some writing things. I am helping with my writing group's contest. I am planning a neat event for my students. Today, my husband and I are going to the Longview literature festival and I am wearing my writers' group's shirt that is new.

But no writing.

I have the latest O magazine-that I don't have time to read yet-and its title is "Find Your True Calling!" That title intrigued me because I feel at this point in my life I am ready for a new calling. Being a daughter and a sister and a wife and a mother and later a grandmother has been my true calling. And I am one of those people who has seen teaching as a true calling too. And the combination of those things in my life have brought me such true joy. But I think I have room for one more and am ready to go for it.

Writing. I have started on this journey. I have been learning and practicing tons of technique. I have always been a story teller and that "art" has also brought me much joy over the years. I love a good story deftly shared.

I finally "finished" my first complete novel this past summer. I still need to do some revisions, but I cried when the book was done because I did feel all of the emotions as if I had given birth. I didn't cry for actual births of my children, but I'm older now and my characters and their hard choices affected me.

I have been preparing for Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month-50,000 word challenge)www.nanowrimo.org My friend Julie and I are working on a cool event for it and I plan to hold some writing events for my students. I also plan to participate myself. I have been trying in recent weeks to come up with a cool project to write about this year. Because a book is so labor intensive, you not only need a good premise, but you need one that excites you and compels you and that you genuinely like. You gotta to want to read it before you ask someone else to do it.

AND I HAVE AN IDEA! And it is a good one! And it is a story that I want to read! And it is a story that gives me the opportunity to take one of the areas where I am happiest and use my knowledge to help others.

I can't wait!