At my first meeting of the Round Hill Writers’ Group, Bobbi, the group’s organizer, asked why I wrote. It started me thinking at a deeper level why I wrote.
Part of it was that my job required that I write more. Back in 1998, I took a management position. That transition required more communication. Also, I wasn’t creatively solving problems with programs. That creative urge sought an outlet, so I started writing.
It has been a daily challenge. There was/is so much to master, from grammar to story structure. The truth of the matter is there is no such thing as mastery–there’s always something more to learn or to do better. Then, I had to find time to research story elements/ideas, which is learning about such things as wormholes, quantum entanglement, and cold fusion, and prions.
After all of this, I found that I enjoy the work. A lot. I love the challenge, and I love learning. I love seeing my ideas come life.
And there are more challenges ahead. I’m 1/3 into editing my current novel, Shifting Mars’ Sands, with the Loudoun County Writers’ Group. With their review, I’ve had to hone my skills as well as acquire new ones. Either that, or week after week I’d hear the same types of comments.
In the end, it’s all positive effort toward my goal. I want to publish my novel through traditional publishing. To reach that goal, I’ll start an agent search once I’m much further along with my novel’s editing. (I don’t think it makes sense to get an agent if the story isn’t in its best possible shape.)
I started as an outlet for my creativity, and now my goal is to publish.
I’m an author living in northern Virginia with a wife and a cat. In the late ’80s, I worked on the International Space Station project. I recently retired from managing a group of software engineers to focus on writing science fiction and speculative fiction. Learn more.