This month Sisters in Crime, the wonderful crime writers' group that I'm part of, has been hosting daily write-ins dubbed the Summer Scrawl. It's been a great way to stay accountable and keep writing (despite the lazy days of summer and the busy days of summer...). When I wrote my first novel, Player Elimination, I did something similar through the now defunct Nanowrimo (National Novel Writing Month). When I wrote that first 50k draft in a month, I had no idea what I was doing. I'd never written anything longer than 20K and most of my work was far (far!) shorter. Add to that: I had never written mysteries before. So it was a new adventure for me in many ways.

This time around, I do feel more confident, more sure of myself. It helps that what I'm writing now is already under contract and that it's my fifth novel. But even saying that feels weird. My *fifth* novel. I still feel like the new kid, the newbie who has so much to learn from everyone else. That beginner mindset can be a curse and a blessing. On the one hand, it might make me second guess myself and feel the dreaded imposter syndrome. On the other hand, staying open to new ideas and possibilities is invaluable to a writer (especially one that needs to figure out new twists and turns for a mystery...).

Granted: it's still hard. Writing always is, even on those glorious days when the words flow. The process is a challenge, but one that I'm better prepared for now. There's still lots to learn, and I'm ready for it.