The Writer

From as far back as I can remember, I always wanted to grow up to be a writer. I can say with absolute conviction that I have done just that, in every "career" location I have served. The desire to think of myself as a 'writer' grew out of being a voracious reader. As a girl growing up in Mississippi, I read every book in the local library. Books were the way I experienced life beyond my location and limits. So it was natural to aspire to write.

As far as writing a book goes, the extent of my ambition was that I would write just one book. (based on the model of Margaret Mitchell who wrote just one, Gone with the Wind). And I have exceeded my one-book goal, minus the fame. (a collection of short stories in 1987 and a novel in 2009) I have just never felt the urge to pursue the path for publication.

As a writer, it would be true to say that I have come to prefer the shorter forms, such as a sermon or a blog. It would also be true to say that I have no desire to spend the next ten years of my life trying to find an agent. Seeking peace and serenity at this life stage, I would prefer that my life not be filled with that level of disappointment.

If I were to write a book, the model of the book I want to write is something akin to Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a fable about the mysteries of life, a novella. The genre of the one I have in my head I would describe as: spiritual fantasy. That is the book I occasionally wonder whether or not I might yet write.

Maybe a satisfactory solution, taking everything into consideration, is to write my novella as next year's blog. I'm giving that serious consideration!