A writing career? What writing career?

Since I was just a wee boy stumbling his way through the rocky shores of my pre-teen existence and the crashing emotional wave that is teen-hood I have written. I have spent many hours lost in other worlds. Many classes were spent day dreaming about Han Solo's cousin (what you didn't know he had a cousin named Flynn?) or about the U.S.S. Archer (long before there was a Captain Archer or even a Beagle for Scotty to lose...let alone an Admiral Archer). I stumbled through my 11th grade English class on a wing and a prayer working on story after story just to get away from life.

Then just into my twenties I stumbled across William Gibson's first novel and I'm hooked. I had read Star Trek books and some Star Wars books (I loved the original Han Solo trilogy) and I had read all of the Robotech books but Neuromancer was my first real sci-fi book outside of those three previously created universes. It took me in a whole new direction and I had the anger and angst to fuel many many more hours of writing. Acyd was born as was Isis and my world took on a dark and sinister aspect. For nearly four years Acyd ruled my life. His story was one of the longest I've ever typed at nearly 150 pages.

Children changed all of that. I had no time to write and my life settled into a comfortable sled ride through the dreamy snow covered hills of some far off fairy tale. Yep, I was content. No anger combined with no angst all added up to no ideas, no feeling and no writing. I longed to write, oh believe me, I wanted to write more than a crack whore needs her next fix. Nothing came out. I tried everything and finally figured that was it. I was done and the silly adventures I had penned all those many years were simply a way for an emotionally torn up teen to make it through life. A coping mechanism I suppose.

Fast forward to NOW! I find myself really wanting to write. The urge is there but the ideas are not. I even went to the book store to try and find a book to rocket me forward. I got rocked perhaps, but not rocketed I suppose. I found a book on freelance writing and now I have this ambition to become a professional writer. I have virtually no hope in this endeavor and yet it nags at me like my two year old wanting a fresh sippy-cup of milk. I bought the book and tore through it. I needed to know the secret and I've stumbled on the humbling idea that there is no secret. There is no Dr. Jones moment of triumph but rather long hours of slogging through the mud to get to an end that I'll probably never see.

Ideas for 'true' stories seem to elude me at this junction in my life but I have written. I am forcing myself to write for an hour a day 5 to 6 days a week. The experts say that to be a good writer one must write...write...and then write some more and so I am.

I have not only started to write but also I am devouring books and finding outlets for a beginner to go to. Perhaps this is a pipe dream but its a pipe dream that perhaps I'll slide down for a little while and see where it takes me.

I am hoping to share some work here and to lay out my attempts and my stumbling blocks. I am hoping to share the tragedies and triumphs of a wanna-be author, writer, father of three, husband to one awesome woman, part-time student and full time government employee. That's a lot to juggle and if you want you can jump on this pipe dream with me leave a few comments and see where it takes you to!