Honestly, I never meant to turn this into an author/writer blog… but since necessity is the mother of invention (or of adding new topics to your blog), and I have decided to take writing seriously, well, I thought this would make a great spot to start discussing my progress through writing my first novella/novel/whatever this will end up being.

I know there’s a ton of author blogs out there and there’s no reason why you should be reading mine specifically. I will continue to write book reviews, though, especially as I get more time to read (go working from home!).

So, how did this all happen? How did Anabelle finally realize that she needed to do this?

How I decided

I’ve been avoiding this decision for a very, very long time. For someone who wrote her first novel in 4th grade, I haven’t been very prolific in the last 20 years.

Well, that’s not exactly true. I wrote a lot–essays. I was good at it; probably still am if I bothered to get back to it. But I stopped writing stories.

There’s something amazing about spending some years studying literature, but when you want to be a writer, it can also be paralyzing. There are so many great writers out there, who was I to think I could be at least as good? School took the desire to write fiction out of me. It was easier to analyze others’ writing from the safe distance of being a reader.

After trying many kinds of jobs, and after giving a chance to a more career-oriented position, I realized that office jobs made me miserable. But first and foremost, it cut into my best writing time, which is in the morning (thanks to Michele of Career Quest Coaching for helping me figuring this out).

I took a leap of faith (with a little safety net), quit my job and decided I would take writing seriously. I am now, for all intents and purposes, a writer.

How I work

I’ve already trained myself into writing at least a little every day, thanks to 750 Words. (If you don’t use this site already, you should. It’s awesome.) I got up at 6 every morning just to have enough time to write my 750 words before going to work.

But it wasn’t enough.

I’ve known I am a morning writer since my last semester in academia. And this job thing got in the way of writing. How do you react to someone–or something–that’s in the way of something that matters to you? The simple fact of going to my job made me angry. Sign much? Definitely, yes.

So right now, it’s about getting up, and writing. I write at least 2750 words every morning. Since I registered to Sarah Selecky‘s Story is a State of Mind e-course, I also do other writing exercises when it suits me. Soon enough there will also be work to consider, but for now I am simply engrossed in the writer’s routine.

In the afternoon, I read books, sometimes fiction, sometimes books about writing. It’s a good life. Oh, and I take walks too, I try, at least one every day.

A work in progress

Writing is hard.

No, it really is. I’ve been writing this thing for 2 days now.

It’s a craft. It’s not a talent, not something out of a muse. It’s something that takes practice, and dedication, and work. But it’s worth it.

At least, I think it is. My life, just like my writing, is a work in progress. It has to be revised over and over again. My life may never be perfect (hello writer’s poverty!) but it will be mine. And hopefully it will get better as I get better writing, too.

So, that’s all for today’s me-me-me post. Have you made an important decision lately?