my writing journey
Ten years ago, I had a secret writing dream: to become a novelist. At the time, I was working as a middle school teacher, and I barely had time to sleep, let alone write a full-length book. Plus, I had never written anything longer than a short story before—finishing a book seemed like a faraway dream.
Despite my uncertainties, I finally got up the courage to quit my job in 2012 and began pursuing my writing dream in earnest. It was an exciting time … at first. But soon I found myself floundering. Without an MFA program to support my development or writing peers to work alongside, I felt scared and unequipped.
I remember spending full mornings—mornings I had set aside to work on my novel—Googling “writer’s block” and trying to figure out ways to overcome creative anxiety. At first, this seemed like a futile and embarrassing effort, and yet, surprisingly, I discovered wonderful advice and resources online, and with their help I eventually pulled myself out of my writing funk.
That year, I started to write and submit in earnest for the very first time. And before long I experienced my first taste of writing success. I got two short stories published, attended two amazing writing residencies, and finished two drafts of my book.
There have been plenty of ups and downs in my writing journey since then, but—ten years and two novels later—I’ve now gotten a pretty good handle on what it takes to carve out a writing life. That’s not to say that I don’t still experience low points and moments of self-doubt, but I no longer feel like I’m on a terrifying emotional roller-coaster when it comes to writing.
One of my favorite parts of my life now is sharing what I’ve learned with other writers to help them reach their writing goals much more quickly than I did. After five years of teaching and coaching at Fresh Ink, I’ve got an extensive toolbox of tips and tricks for overcoming writing anxiety, and I know how to set up an inspiring and supportive writing routine that keeps writers moving along the path to their writing dreams.
As I approach the 10-year anniversary of quitting my job and following my writing dreams, I’m thrilled to find myself in a place where writing is a core part of my life. I’m pretty dang excited about my writing business, my writing community, and my discovery that building a writing life is, in fact, possible.
If you’ve been wanting to follow a secret writing dream but you’re not sure how to start, sign up for a free 90-minute consultation with me, in which we can talk through your writing goals and challenges, and determine whether we’d be a good fit to work together.