I'm learning!

I'm an executive assistant. That's what I do to pay the bills. It’s not what I trained to be. I actually have 2 master’s degrees. But I like not having the stress that jobs in my field gave me. The company I work for is worth about a billion (yes, with a B) dollars and I report to the Chairman of the Board and CEO and to the President and COO. I'm at the top of the food chain. It's a good job and they treat me very well. The 2 men I work for are really incredible - intelligent, nice, generous and happy. I'm lucky!

But it seems that I have a secret passion for writing. I've been reading forever and never considered the possibility that I might have something to add to the word pool. What could I say that hadn't already been said far more eloquently?

I actually attempted to write a few times – mostly fiction. But I always got distracted about 3 pages in and never finished. I even took a writing class at our local community college and enjoyed it immensely. But I never followed through.

Then one day I realized that this year is the 25th anniversary of my cancer diagnosis and I thought I might finally be far enough away from the pain to write about it. So, as I said below, 52,000 words later here I am.

I’m a researcher by training, so I’ve spent the last few months surfing every website I can find researching everything that has to do with writing, querying, submitting, formatting, etc. I’m even a regular lurker on some blogs and have just had the incredible distinction of winning the title of “Best Suck-up of the Day” in Miss Snark’s Idols of March contest. I love Miss Snark and have learned a lot from her so I’m truly honored. (Yup! Still sucking up.)

Even with all my research I’m a total novice in the world of publishing and all of the seasoned pros are probably going to try to make mincemeat out of me. What they don’t realize is that I’ve spent most of my life in the meat grinder, so there really isn’t anything they can throw at me that hasn’t already been done at some time or another. I’m very tough and resilient. So bring it on!