Recent changes in my life have brought me back to my writing life.  It seems writing is the one constant in my life and past situations have proven that I am not happy unless I am pursuing some sort of writing goal.  My heart is telling me that this time I must pursue my vision and not be distracted by those who do not understand the passion of writing or what it takes to be a successful writer.

With writing comes a lot of self-doubt, at least for me it does. I have dealt with that little imp sitting on my shoulder and whispering in my ear “you can’t write, you’re not going to make any money writing, you are a failure”.  Then on my other shoulder are the hands of mentors and friends.  With their touch and with their voice they tell me to press on. They say, “You can do this, it’s time you focus on what you love”.  Those positive voices are beginning to overpower the negative voice.  For the first time in my writing career, I feel confident about achieving my goals as a writer.  It may not make me rich, but I am certain it will make me happy.

Becoming a successful writer
One of my previous professors told me that the difference between a successful writer and an unsuccessful writer is perseverance and that I have what it takes to be successful.  Those encouraging words alone have kept me fighting my way through the “tall weedy grass” where I sometimes tripped, never knowing where, or how exactly to make my writing known.

I think back to Rapid City, South Dakota.  It was my first trip alone.  I took this trip as my first step towards my writing career.  That was sixteen years ago and here I am now. I have studied and studied the writing process.  I went back to college to get my degree and with that I was trained how to write but some of the best writing professors in the state of Vermont.

I have learned that in order to be a good writer one must write and willing to have their work edited, but not to the point where your voice or style is not detected.

My most recent learning opportunity took me to the American Society of Journalist and Authors (ASJA) conference in New York City.  There I sat in on several workshops, but the workshop that educated me the most was the one on writing a book proposal.  In that seminar, I learned that in order for me publish the Bosler story I have to work my butt off.  The major thing I must do is build my platform as an author.  That will take a lot of determination, discipline, and focus.  I am ready to take it on and I am at peace with the challenge.

Steps I’m taking as a writer
Besides this blog I have two others: Around Cumberland County, Pennsylvania and The Wandering Pen.  Both of these blogs are rather new and I am in the process of posting material to them.  I also have a podcast site called The Wandering Pen Podcast. Here you will find my interviews with people who have traveled to various places and what they liked and did not like about their travel. I will also interview writers on writing and ask them what they believe it takes to be a successful writer. These podcasts are available on ITunes.  Please consider following all of the sites I have mentioned and please do give feedback.  I welcome your thoughts on current topics and your ideas for future topics.

In addition to my blogs I have a writing gig with Decoded Past.  This website is somewhat like the previous website I wrote for, but this time my historical events topics will connect with current events.  For example, the 150^th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg and how it was observed.