Digrssions: My Life in 500 Words or Less

This story actually started a few years ago. That’s when my wonderful partner in life, Rebecca Ricks, gave me a special Christmas gift (one of several, as is always the case).

The gift was a set of five pens. But these were not your ordinary pens. These pens had gargoyles and dragons roosting on or wrapped around them. It just so happens I collect gargoyles. But then Rebecca knew that.

At the time, I thought they were cool but I was afraid they wouldn’t get much use. Not the intended use, anyway. I know Rebecca intended me to use them in my writing work somehow. At the time, I used pens primarily to write submission cards to keep track of the work I sent out, and that wasn’t a daily occurrence.

So I kept the pens near my work space for years. They sat in their boxes unused.

Maybe I wasn’t ready to put them to use then. I’m not sure.

But I’m apparently ready to put them to use now.

Yesterday, I saw the box that held all five pens, and I resolved to start using. It just felt like the right time.

And I happened to have just sent out a submission yesterday. So I used the pen to fill out a submission card for my records.

Maybe I’m ready to put those pens to use now because of where I am in my writing life. For some reason, this year began stronger than any in recent memory. Work on the novel picked up substantially. I’m getting other writing done as well. And, as I mentioned earlier, I am getting submissions out.

Maybe those gargoyles and dragons embody true magic.

Maybe they called to me because they sense the magical journey this writing year holds for me.

At least I’d like to think so.