Hope For Tomorrow

Where did January go? I blinked, I guess, because it has flown by. My writing is not sailing as I'd hoped, but I'm excited about a new project I've begun. In addition, I am determined to submit more work. If I don't send it out, no one can buy it, right? So, here go partials of partials and partials of complete manuscripts whisked off to the post office. In about a thousand months, perhaps I'll get editor's replies. (They are sloooow to reply, aren't they?)

In the meantime, personal family crises are being managed (some better than others), friends and I rally around our friends in crisis/transition, and life goes on. We authors are, for the most part, a flexible and supportive group. Bad things happen and we deal with them in the best way we can--choosing some of them for story fodder--and helping our fellow authors do the same. I'm reminded of the words of a close friend who died years ago and left two small sons. As if she had a premonition of her death, she said, "I may not have always done the right thing, but I have always done what I thought was the right thing at that moment. And that's what I want my sons to remember."

So, each of us continues, trying to do the right thing, hopeful she's interpreted the situation well--but moving on regardless. And this applies to writing and to life. For what is writing but a representation of life from our observations, imaginations, and aspirations. We write stories that might have been, of frightening situations we're grateful existed only in our imaginations, and--for me--most often we write life the way it should have been. Hope for the future. That's what I want my books to offer: hope that no matter how bad things look today, there's the promise that--with hard work and a little luck--things will all work out tomorrow. Or at least a few tomorrows away.

New Beginnings

No, I don't mean the New Beginnings day care chain; I mean a fresh start for each of us. We have an opportunity to forget the tragedies, goof ups, family crises, and whatever else hindered us last year. This year will be better. We'll be better. No matter what your goals are for 2006, set some with me and we'll be goal buddies. Do you want to write ten pages a day, a page a day, a page a week, or just a page? I talked to Geralyn Dawson recently and--when things are going well--she plans to work weekdays only from 8 to 5. I also plan to write weekdays only--except when I can't stay away from my work in progress--but I work until later in the evening. Many of you have weekday jobs and are able to write only evenings and weekends. That's hard, especially if you have small children. But whatever your personal goal, let's support one another and try for the most productive year we've ever had. We can do this. This will be OUR year. Watch out world--here we come!