Adventures Ahead

After signing up for my workshop in this year's Iowa Summer Writing Festival, I also enrolled in a Advanced Fiction Writing course for this fall. I am pretty excited for the upcoming adventures; the writing, the reading and the interaction with other writers face to face! Sure, I wondered if I need this, if I am ready for this or if it is a lateral move. I don't know where I am at as a writer, but perhaps afterwords I will know a little bit more.

For both adventures I will be working with instructors from the Iowa Writer's Workshop. I grew up in Iowa City and have heard all my life about the program, the writers and the international prestige it carries. So, needless to say, while I am very excited, I am also a bit nervous to be jumping into such a talented group! It will be a great experience to talk with people different levels of skill, talent and various experiences in the writing market.

While I will walk in with no published work, I am hoping the workshop in July will push me to enter into at least one contest. I keep having a recurring vision of myself with a life jacket on almost each time I begin to think about these adventures; I am not sure if I will stay afloat, perhaps? Maybe. I don't plan on sinking; I may struggle a bit, but I will fight to keep my head above water as I'll have the experience to learn many things.

This has been a great year of turning it up a notch, taking steps towards a dream. I don't know what will come of it all, and part of me doesn't really care; the journey is incredible. I am enjoying the moments as they are, not looking too far ahead, and I am anticipating surprising myself. This week I was chatting with my brother who turned forty this year (two years my elder), and we both agreed that if this was my "midlife crisis" it was indeed the most grand midlife crisis! (I don't feel old or at midlife, but take it as you may!)

I must admit I am not exactly sure what will arise or result from the rest of this year's writing adventures, but I know a lot will be learned and they will be experiences I will accept for the good and the not so good. I started down this path twenty years ago, and unfortunately I didn't follow my heart. I am just glad I realized my mistake relatively quickly and have time to correct my path.