Something just for you blog lovers…

There is something I love about blogs. The writing, the sharing that feels a bit more intimate and cozy.
Then of course there is the discovery of a blog. While promotion in all its varied forms leads readers to a blog the ones you just somehow, someway stumble upon are probably the most rewarding.

Like finding a little cafe that you just love off the beaten path that no one else you know seems to have found yet.

I have some truly exciting news and I decided that I wanted to share it here first in a quiet sort of way with those of you dedicated blog readers. The announcement will be made elsewhere eventually but sharing it here feels a bit like getting together with best friends to celebrate an accomplishment. Before I share the news however, I need to give you some back story so if you just need to know what it is right now you can jump here to find out 🙂

I was about 8 years old when I first started writing. I co-wrote a poem with a lady named Ms. Crooker who was a bit like a surrogate grandmother to me. She was a teacher and even though retired she still taught-and I personally loved every minute.

She is the one who taught me how to read out-loud. How long to pause after a comma, (“count, 1, 2”) and after a period, (“count 1, 2, 3”). She would sit in the rocking chair in our living room when we had her over for dinner and I would sit in her lap and she would read with me. I’m not positive if that’s where my love of reading came from (my dad loved to read and I believe it’s just in some people’s DNA) but I do know that she is the first person to teach me how to construct a poem.

The first poem I ever wrote was about my Cabbage Patch Dolls. I still have it in a box of poems in my attic. I will have to share it with you sometime soon. We are going through our attic and doing a MAJOR de-clutter and organize. 22 Years of memories and toys and etc are lost up there and we are making changes. That story however, is for another time.

So Ms. Crooker and I wrote the poem together. If I am honest, she did most of the writing as she was a bit of a perfectionist-even when writing poems about Cabbage Patch Dolls with an 8 year-old. Still, I was very proud and the love for writing was planted.

I never not thought of myself as a writer. (Even if I am obviously not a master of grammar).  I never really cared to be an overly polished writer or one of the “greats” because truth be told-that wasn’t what I enjoyed reading. Still isn’t.

I just always wanted to tell an interesting story or write a poem that made someone feel something. How any of it was received was for the reader and I never wanted to tell anyone what my poems meant because I just felt like that was ruining the poetry. Isn’t art supposed to mean something different to everyone?

As for me? I just like writing words on paper and making stories appear as if from nowhere.

So I wrote and wrote and wrote some more. I love the act of writing and have always dreamed of when I was an adult and would be a published writer. At the time I saw myself as a fiction writer and of course, ridiculously successful.

I have tried the publishing game for books and racked up a few rejection letters, which thanks to Stephen King’s book On Writing I was quite proud of. I tried to do the freelance writing thing but quickly realized that while I might make a living at it-writing about topics I wasn’t interested in was still just a job. I even forayed into self-publishing and published a chapbook of poems coupled with a book launch at one of my friend’s businesses. A pretty amazing night I might add and an accomplishment I still feel proud of.

I do have several rough drafts of fiction books that I am working on-proof that I haven’t given up on the published fiction author dream. And if I am being honest-I hope I never do.

And now, for the news. (Fun fact-at one brief time in my life I majored in journalism)

Last week I was visiting a webpage and felt myself being called to check out their submission guidelines. Turns out that they were requesting submissions about a topic very near and dear to my heart and before I knew it I was asking for some help from upon to come up with a submission to send in.

And I did.

And guess what? I'm going to be published!!!!!

It’s been such a surreal experience. I have never doubted that writing was my purpose or that it would be part of the work I put out into the world so when it happened it was almost not surprising and yet-completely surprising if that makes sense? The best part is I am going to writing about Art Journaling so it is combination of both my artist and writer sides. I will also be taking photos to go along with article so my inner amateur photographer self won’t be left out either.

All the details will be coming soon-for now I have my very first actual deadline!!! I started the article today and I am hoping to have a first draft done by the end of the week and maybe even get some art done to go along with the article. I’ll be sure to share with you all here when my first draft is done.

So that is my exciting blog news just for my blog readers and since that’s you-thank you! Thank you for loving blogs like I do and taking time to come here and read and be a part of this really exciting news. I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

Much love!

Until next time…

-Michele, aka The Dreaming Dilettante