Several years ago Dan and I agreed that I would quit my regular not-great-paying-anyway-plus-I-hated-it job to write full time. Other than the drama that comes with simply being me, I think it went well. I learned a lot: walks around the block don’t write novels, writing more than three hours a day produces no more than stopping after two hours and fifty-nine minutes, and finally, red wine is tasty but it doesn’t increase the quality of the writing.

Then I got pregnant and writing became a lot like sleeping: something I longed to do but was refused access to by Small Person Attached to my Boob*.

And then by Second Small Person Attached to my Boob*.

Being a mom was an all consuming activity for me. Writing is something I can’t do well unless I’m getting some sleep some of the time. It also helps if interruptions are limited to once every ten minutes as opposed to every eight seconds. I’ve tried to write over the past six years. This website originated out of a desire to write something, anything because a life without putting words on paper is a painful one for me.

The time has now come to write with more purpose. To do everything with more purpose, really. I’ve been this zombie-like thing sort of going with the I Have Small Children flow and while I realize a degree of that will likely continue to be the case for what? like the next fifteen years? I also know that we’re all ready for Mommy to get the hell on with it becuase this grumpiness of hers at being the Laundry Girl and Snack Getter is getting old.

Anyhoo, the kids are back in school this week and it’s a new beginning for us all. They get to go off and learn things, make new friends, get into whatever trouble they see fit to create for themselves. I get to formulate and put into place a plan of action to be writerly once more. I am super excited.

I will be posting not only here but also at near.daily.visual and my new site interskew. I started interskew at the end of June with the intention of posting at least one interview a week. Unfortunately, several days after announcing it to the world my sister went into hospital and I ended up having her kids living with me for the month of July. Unfortunately more for my sister than for me having to put my website on hold for a couple of months. Good news is that she’s back in the saddle and I’m ready to write full time. Which means three hours a day (see above).

The bulk of this full time writing will be devoted to the novel. I will be writing one thousand words a day, six days a week for the next three months. I will then evaluate progress and decide see how far I am from completion. I will be posting weekly updates of how it’s going so that anyone else who might be thinking of writing a first novel as well can hopefully benefit from (laugh at) my trials and tribulations.

Check back, if you like, and share in the excitement.

*Please note, they were not attached to my boob at the age shown in those photos. Rest assured that I did not breastfeed my son when he was done mucking about in the woods looking for dinosaur bones.