One Life to Write

One Life to Write… I came across that on a blog post listing different writing slogans, and I thought it was clever. Maybe I like it because I used to be a fan of the soap opera One Life to Live (RIP).

It’s the truth. We have only one life to write. Or live. Or do anything.

For too many years, I didn’t take the time to pursue writing. I always knew I enjoyed it, I just never really pursued it regularly.

I wrote the first draft of After Ten and then abandoned it for a couple of years before I got serious about revising it and ultimately publishing it. It was just about a year ago when I made that decision, and I am so glad I did. It’s been quite the journey these past twelve months.

Now, instead of a rough draft collecting literal and cyber dust in my home office, I have a published novel. I also have another one on the way.

After several stops and starts, I am making great progress on Sixth South and I am very pleased with how the story has come together, even if one of my MCs decided to create a more complicated back story for herself midway through the book (thanks, Megan).  My characters know best, so I have to pursue it, even if it means more revisions later to the first part of the book.

I’m on a pretty tight schedule to finish, because the DFW Writer’s Conference is coming up in less than two months and I plan to pitch the book there. It will be my first writer’s conference and I am excited about the opportunity. The list of agents lined up looks fantastic and so does the list of classes.  It should be a great time, and I don’t intend for it to be the only conference I attend in my career.

I only have one life to write, so I need to make the most of it.