Those of you who know me personally are keenly aware that I have spent the last four years more (or less) devoted to my master’s degree. I have made many sacrifices in order to obtain this oh so valuable diploma. The biggest of which has been my writing. I would not allow my self to take on large projects (oops, I couldn’t resist the small ones, as my portfolio shows) because I knew it would distract me from my goal.
But as of yesterday, I am 100% finished with my master’s degree! Now I am free to pursue my writing dreams. I feel like a starving child who has been dropped off at the Sizzler’s all-you-can-eat buffet. I want to sample everything. I have a novel that’s been in the works for two years that I have not allowed myself to touch until I graduate. I’m working on a top-secret non-fiction book with my friend David Gardner of Phoenix Art Space and I’ve asked to do a couple articles for his site. Additionally, I spent all day yesterday writing a short story for a romance fiction contest — the first piece of fiction I’ve written in four years and the first romance I’ve written in my entire life. There’s a story I want to pitch to PopMatters and two more I plan on pitching to Women’s Adventure Magazine.
Logic says this pace isn’t sustainable, but I’m so excited that I just can’t help myself. I tell myself to turn the computer off and just watch a movie, but I’d rather be writing. It kinda reminds me of the time in my early childhood (well, I don’t actually remember it, but somebody told me about it recently) when I got to the park and was so exciting that I ran towards the playground in a sprint and bit it on the parking lot curb. Well, the good news is that in this situation, the curb is only proverbial, … right?
