Digressions: My Life in 500 Words or Less

It has been just over a year since I left my job as a newspaper features writer, but I never stopped writing. Actually, I was writing for decades before I took that job, and I hope to have a few more decades of writing in front of me.

Writing is part of who I am. It has been a constant in my life.

From as early as I can remember, I’ve enjoyed writing short stories, poems, essays and other creative works. You know those scenes in sitcoms and movies where the kid gives his or her mom a homemade card? I did that but mine usually included a poem I had written for the occasion.

I’ve devoted so much of my time working on my craft in one form or another, and this past year was no different. I’m continually seeking markets for works I have written but have yet to publish, both short stories and poems. I’m creating new works and reading the works of others as well as reading about the craft itself.

That’s the thing about writing: often there is more to it than just writing.

No, really.

I spend more time looking for places to publish my creative writing than it took to produce the works. Often that proverbial needle in a haystack would be easier to find. And keeping up with resources, markets and current trends requires a lot of reading.

Over the years I’ve managed to accumulate some 46 publishing credits for my short stories, poems and essays from online and print journals. I’ve been fortunate to have been paid for my writing in many cases, sometimes a token amount, sometimes more. I’ve been fortunate to be a multiple award-winning author.

Throughout these years I’ve had the great privilege of having a great system of support from family and friends, not the least of which is my sweetie, Rebecca. Support in anything one does is important.

In the past year I’ve submitted numerous works, written thousands of words, read countless articles, had a collection of my short stories published and conducted a writing workshop. I continue to facilitate the writers’ group I founded more than 15 years ago.

Often I forget how immersed in the craft I am. Even when I was working that 42-hour-a-week job as a features writer, I worked on my fiction and creative writing endeavors, usually weekday evenings and on weekends.

All of this is a reminder to me how important writing is. To say it is a passion for me might be an understatement.

Writing is duplicitous. It is a source of enjoyment. It is a source of frustration. It is cathartic. It is containment. It is fiction. It is truth.

Writing is part of my future as surely as it has been a part of my past.

Writing is part of who I am.