The 10-Pages-a-Day Winter Writing Challenge

As those of you who know me know, I have been working on a really special story for over ten years. At first, it was a graphic novel. Then when I realized I was more blessed with words than with visual art, I decided to turn it into a novel earlier this year. So far, I have 30 pages and 6 short chapters finished.

You may be wondering why this project is taking me so long. The simple answer is the life happens and sometimes it kicks you in the lady nuts until you're keeled over on the ground and literally can't get up. The details of everything that has happened within the past decade to delay this project (getting married and divorced to a psychopath who I didn't know at the time was crazy all before age 18, running away to live with my drug addicted best friend, losing all my friends over and over again due to constant moves across the country, the loss of my grandmother, the estrangement from my adoptive and biological parents, lack of employment opportunities, stupid legal issues, additional schooling requirements for my career path, and shitty landlords) are far too complex to get into at length. In fact, I'm sure I could probably write a book about how crappy my life has been from the time I was born to right here at the ripe age of 22. But I don't wanna do that. I don't wanna be defined for the shit that's happened to me but the work I've done in spite of all that nonsense.

My boyfriend is the only person who knows how to keep me out of the doldrums. In many ways, he's gone through a lot of the same shit and understands what it's like to be left out on your own without even so much as an explanation. We've always been there for each other. I'm glad he had the courage and patience to push me to continue my fiction writing. This winter break, with Dan's help, I'm going to be writing 10 pages a day of my fiction novel so that I can finally finish it.

I hope that some of you will take this challenge with me. It doesn't have to be fiction and it doesn't have to be 10 pages. But challenge yourself to do whatever it is that you love each day for the next month. What better New Year's resolution is there? Call me crazy, but I don't think the world is gonna end on Friday (though I do want to go to some sick parties).

Wish me luck publishing in 2013!