Hi

I have always dreamed of being a writer. Always. In high school, while my friends were writing and passing notes, I was writing short stories. I rarely shared them with anyone, but I wrote them and loved the feeling of writing.

The focus of my college degree was writing. I loved the instruction, but I didn't always enjoy the writing. It was hard being told what to write. So many times the guidelines had me heading in directions that weren't right for me or my style of writing. But I kept at it. I gave the professors what they wanted and passed the assignments and courses.

But, it just wasn't what I wanted. I wanted to write. I wanted to write what I wanted to write. I moved back home to a small town and there were no opportunities for writing or ways to develop my writing. I kept writing, and I kept it to myself.

Years have passed. Many more years than I care to admit. I've kept writing, but it has always been for me. I found a website where I posted some short stories and received favorable feedback. Great story. I loved emails like that. Do you have any more stories? Yeah, loads more.

That was two years ago, and the writing has still been just for me and a very limited audience. Now, I have a chance to write the way I want to write. And no, not just on this blog.

I have someone willing to invest in me for one year. One year to focus on my writing. To attend conferences. To research the market. To hone my skills.

To write.

I can't wait. 2009 seems like it is going to be a wonderful year.