As some of you saw on Facebook this weekend (then whined about it when I wouldn’t share the news **cough cough Scott cough cough**) I have an awesome announcement to make!

**Trumpets sound as the red carpet rolls out and I walk across it in my slinky silver evening gown to proclaim my wondrous news!!!***

(Reality…I’m sitting at my desk in my pajamas with a hint of lingering morning breath and a couple crusties that I forgot to wipe out of my eye … but who’s worried about details!)

On Friday afternoon, amidst a gloomy day (and we aren’t talking about a lack of UV Rays out doors) while my mood was doing the exact opposite of sky rocketing after a long drawn out Grocery Shopping trip with my children … I got a phone call …

**Gasps sound across the room **

Was it THE Call?

OMG!!!

Sigh….no…BUT

This call was almost as exciting as THE Call!

My phone call was an invitation to join the Website/Blog of If You Give a Girl a Pen!!!!

Slightly like the story If You Give a Moose a Muffin …

but closer to the story If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (Considering the height difference and all…)

But with WAY less mess … unless you consider the red pen that was scratched across my first and second drafts a mess. Cuz it super looked like a mess! …

So a big thank you to the girls over at If You Give a Girl a Pen for accepting me into their group and for being crazy smart enough to notice my strange awesome writing talents!

Please take a minute to visit their site…and of course follow it since it’s another place that you get to read my awesome writing advice! You can welcome me here.

I’m going to borrow some questions from Scott on A Writers Blog who borrowed them from Rebecca Knight who wrote a post about Measuring Success. You can read the original post here!

Here are the questions with my answers . . .

1) Why am I writing?

I write because I love it! But don’t we all? But I also write because it is stress relieving and inspiring and it gives me a small sense of worth at the end of the day after I have completed something amazing. Finishing a book or a blog or any writing project feels like giving birth to a baby. You did all the work and you have this amazing piece of wonderful to show for it. There is no better feeling … ok besides having a baby of course! (I almost said having a baby is a bit more painful, but any writer knows…that is not necessarily true!)

2) How long do I want to do this, even if I never get any credit or money from my work?

Is that a rhetorical question? Doesn’t the askee know that once you start writing it is IMPOSSIBLE to stop? I have to write…every day…even if it’s just a little thank you card. It’s what I do and there is no stopping this force of nature!

3) How much rejection can I take?

Well I am currently working on growing a new layer of skin so I can send out some new query letters. But it’s all good, with rejection comes good advice and a whole new way of looking at things. It’s all about optimism.

4) How much time do I want to spend on my goals, versus with my family, friends, and pillow?

I’d like to keep it all balanced if possible. Except the time with my pillow, that kinda takes priority to the rest

5) What do I want to achieve Big Picture?

It’s not that I necessarily want to be super successful (though that would be lovely!) Mostly I just want to feel accomplished, which in fact I already do. I don’t know anyone personally that can say they wrote an ENTIRE novel, published or not. I have. And I’ve worked hard on it. I am in fact -although maybe not successful YET – an accomplished writer! The next step it to be published…I’d LOVE to be published, regardless of how successful my book is. Success will just be the icing on the cake.

6) Will I be satisfied when I get there?

I’d like to think so. It will probably be more accurate to say I will be more shocked, surprised and in a state of awe when the big day happens. (Even when my royalty check only ends up being $5!)

7) Am I satisfied if I never get there?

I’ll go ahead and be honest here and say no. BUT that is what will drive me. The need to be satisfied will push me until it happens. I rarely give up when I want something and if I actually do – which is rare – it is never easily!  (Just ask my husband … using the key words “Harry Potter Movie” … and he’ll let you know)

What steps do I have to take to achieve that Big Picture thing?

Never give up. Keep on writing. And the willingness to learn and be open to new ideas and all the important facts about being a good writer is a big key. When I started writing I had no clue what I was doing. I had a story and I thought that was enough.  I was in for a big surprise! I knew nothing about craft, voice, adjectives, adverbs, passive, active, ect…. But being open and willing to learn has made me twice the writer I was a year ago, which excites me to know where I will be a year from now!

9) Which one needs to be achieved first?

There is not one thing that comes first. Learning, writing, and confidence ALL need to be present all the time.

10) What is my support system?

My husband and my sisters have been there the most. My friends have been incredibly supportive and helpful, especially my amazing friend Mindy who is also a writer and understands the journey. (Ok I’ll admit it….she’s also super awesome because she’s little….) I’ve also gained much support through blogging and blogging friends.

11) How will I feel if I never achieve this?

That won’t happen. Call me over confident and arrogant but I won’t stop until I have achieved my goals and I become a published author. I know what I want and being a girl…a stubborn self sufficient girl who almost always gets her way…I know I will get there!

12) Is it worth trying anyway?

Absolutely!

Do you have any other questions for me? Have I left anything out? I’d love to hear from you!

For a couple book reviews visit my Desperately Searching for My Inner Mary Poppins!

Pretty Is as Pretty Dies

The DaVinci Code