Moving toward a romantic future

Since knowing I'm soon to be an empty nester, I have been planning for the changes in my life, working at facing my fears and forcing myself to step outside of the box. After coming across the beginnings of old romance manuscripts while cleaning out old files and having my friend Kelly put the idea into my head, I decided, after researching and finding that romance is a big seller, to finally put those stories puttering around in my head to paper. Uh, a computer file, I mean and become a romance writer.

That led to researching the genre I once devoured in high school which led to joining the Romance Writer's of America (RWA), the upper echelon of the business. RWA just happened to be having its annual conference in Walt Disney World this summer, and taking that as a sign, I registered to attend. I have been in Orlando since Monday living alone in one of my Wyndham resorts and flitting from workshop to workshop in learning all about the romance industry and romance writing.

I don't know when the last time was that I was alone like this. I have a lot of anxiety about traveling alone and being responsible, but this is my year of stepping outside that comfort zone and so I'm hanging out in my two bedroom suite and telling myself daily that I.AM.A.WRITER. I learned that at the conference. I am a writer. A professional writer.

Every morning I drive to the conference center in Walt Disney World to spend nine hours immersed in romance. I move from one cold room to the next taking workshops and hearing lectures of my choosing. I feel like I'm back in school again taking notes, asking questions, and talking to tons of strangers. At night I return to my abode and go through the stuff I've accumulated and compile the notes I've written and plot my next day. It is all exhausting, yet it is giving me something to focus on besides my soon to be empty children's bedrooms.

I'm not running full steam ahead, but taking it slow with small goals like writing a thousand words a day, so that I can complete the major goal of finishing my story. From there I shall take the information I'm learning at this conference to move to the next step and the next goal with the end goal being to publish. There are so many more options open to writers now with self publishing and the indie market, and I've tapped into learning a bit about that here at the conference. I'm not putting a lot of pressure on myself, but exploring other avenues and maybe, just maybe, going to put that college degree to use. FINALLY.

No matter what it is me moving forward from my SAHM job, and getting reacquainted with the side of me I used to be while learning to mesh that girl with the mother to decide who the woman will be when she finally emerges. Fingers crossed she is dappling in the romance industry.