Writing: Taking Myself New Places

I have been writing almost all my life.  I started young with a journal and I never looked back.  I have been journaling now for over 40 years and boy is it fun to go back and reread all those old thoughts.  It wasn't until college that I started to write down the stories that were always floating around in my head.   I fell in love with writing even more at that point.   However, other than sharing my written stories with some friends, I never did anything with my writing.  I had dreams, but I let my fear of failure keep me from pursuing that dream.   

A few years back, I  was in a dark place in life and found myself writing even more and delving into writing erotic fiction.  I got brave and shared my writing on a web forum and received positive reviews.  Bolstered by those reviews, I self published a few erotic fiction books, under a different name. Very few people in my life knew that I was writing sheer smut, and I liked it that way.  I sold some copies and experienced the joy of selling my first book, even if I couldn't share it with anyone.  

When I found myself in the single world again, I chronicled my online dating experiences in my journal which then became another self published book.  I was still fearful of failure (I still am, which is evident in one of the recent books I read and reviewed, Fear of Failure.)   I was very low key with promotion, only announcing it  it to a few people, but never really promoting the book.  I was happy with the aspect of being a published author under my own name.

Maybe it is the book that I read or maybe it is simply the fact of really looking to follow my heart, but I have decided to get serious about my writing.  It is time to look in the files and see what I have that has been gathering dust.  I will not be writing erotica, but I can definitely say that there will be some romance written and edited.  I also have a book about weight loss that I plan on finishing to get published asap!  I am buckling in for the ride, because I know that the more I write, the more I need to write!