Don't you love the round lights in this photo? It's called Bokeh, and it's a style of photography I'm kind of crushing on lately. Well, I say it every time - how does time slip away like that? I notice that when I have not written here in a while, I grow impatient - all these questions ripping through my head - what should I be doing? What's next? What am I doing wrong (because I must be doing something wrong!) and what am I going to do now? When is anyone ever going to read my book (despite multiple 'hey, I read your book!' messages)? When am I going to feel like I'm not running in front of a train?

When - pant pant pant - I slow down and center myself and focus on the journey. I've worked hard to get here, even if I'm only at the beginning of the path. I read, again, and I write - because that's really what it comes down to. Prime that pump or it might run dry (though we know it won't; it never has, not even through my twenties). I have been feeling the pieces of this next story come together (and of course I never thought they would - doesn't every writer believe that they'll never have another good idea again?) and it even gives me that thrill of satisfaction when I re-read my notes and don't recognize the writing. I keep looking - organizing - puttering, as my mother calls it, and slowly laying together the imagery that will be another good story, collecting information on contests and conferences, learning more tricks of the trade. Reading, always reading, searching out new resources and organizing the random writing sessions I seem to eke out lately. It's something. Hopefully, with that found diligence, now that (maybe?) spring will come and let me really pump out some good words - because that's the bottom line: butt in seat, write.