Turning over an entirely new leaf . . .

My story in the anthology _Heart of a Child_ published by Authors' Tale

. . . or so it may seem. 

I've spent some hours on this new site and trying to figure out how to get everything over here that I think might be important, but I realized something along the way. 

I'm doing something new here. 

And if it's something new, then the old doesn't really fit, does it? 

So, sure. I have four years worth of blog posts over at the old site, but most of them are from a place and an era where my goals were quite different from what they are now. I'm not trying to teach people how to write or edit or do stuff. I'm not trying to make up posts that satisfy the requirements of an e-course I once took. I'm not trying to project a certain image so that when a publisher looks at my website, they see something they want to see. 

Instead, this is a log of my journey. This is where things get personal. Not that personal. This is where I share my goals, my dreams, my thoughts, what's going on, if I missed a deadline, or a hundred other things I'd like to share. But honestly? My expertise as a writer isn't so great that I feel comfortable telling others what to do. And, even if I did, that would detract from the direction I'm going now. 

This space is about what I'm creating. 

​No more distractions of other things. Just creating. 

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I used to think that I had to be really good at everything else (read: promoting myself through a website and social media) in order to make the pursuit of creating thing worthwhile. 

But it is precisely the creating of things that is the worthwhile pursuit. 

Everything else is actually peripheral. 

I know that I do need to do the best I am able to do with the social platforms, but being excellent at them is worth nothing if by chasing that excellence I never have time to do the things I REALLY love, the creating. 

I will be getting all my book reviews over here, though, and eventually I'll have some short stories for purchase and some patterns, but things will move slowly. That's okay, too. Because I do want to focus on doing things correctly, the way I want them to be done, the way they OUGHT to be done, but I still have an entire household to run on top of what I'm doing and I need to give myself grace. Lots of it. 

I am really glad you're here, though, and I hope you'll stay for the long-term. I've already come so far, but it's time to shed the old identity and put on this new one and move forward. Our past informs our future, but it doesn't necessarily need to be dragged along for the ride. 

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If you've made it this far, welcome! I'm glad you're here. And maybe you're ready to take the next step in our relationship by subscribing to my email list.