Welcome to the Dungeon

            One of the perks of post graduation was the idea that I would have more time to focus on my writing. There are three keywords there: time, focus, and writing. At the moment, I’ve got two out of three. You know, I can make all the excuses I want with Christmas and family obligations, but the truth is that I’m itching. I miss banging away at a keyboard on a regular basis. One of my goals for this year is to write something I would be willing to send off for publication, whether it’s a work I’ve been messing with for a while or something entirely new. And speaking of new, I got a wonderful idea that I need to run with before it grows cold. Oddly enough, it came to me while watching The Hobbit for the second time. And the entire concept developed around a simple phrase: firebreather. A single word breathes life into a completely new idea that eventually becomes a novel, the beauty of writing.

            So for 2013, I invite any readers out there who bother to keep up with me on a regular basis to join me on this journey. Towards making a lifelong dream come closer to being reality, towards making a place for myself apart from my family now that my degree is done, and for becoming who I was meant to be. Goddess help us all.

            There was a tweet I saw not too long ago, about the college life. It said in college that we want three things: sleep, grades, and a social life. Pick two. Maybe writing is the same way and like with college, you just have to truck through with two out of three. Kind of like hobbling with one leg…doesn’t that bode well. But writers pull it off year after year, book after book, deadline after deadline.

            I want to say this. There was one thing about my senior project this time around that I surprisingly found myself enjoying. First off, it didn’t hurt that I was doing something I really enjoyed. Writing the first draft was somewhat easier than expected and it was satisfying. I finished that draft before 1am the night before it was due, which was astounding and perfect because 1am was my college bedtime. The second draft was more of an all-nighter, fueled by giggle fits and Mt. Dew and popcorn. I fell into bed somewhere between 5 and 6am. However, the only reason I felt nervous about that draft was because of past history, not because I wasn’t satisfied with it. The final draft was not so much of an all-nighter, though I got up early that morning to add the finishing touches and turned it in with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step. The entire process taught me, for the first time in my life, how good and how rewarding drafting can be. It just takes patience and gradual work, which is something to keep in mind for the coming months.