LIVING LIFE AND WRITING A BOOK ARE SO EASY, UNTIL YOU TRY BOTH

          I found, at least for me, that living life and writing a book have so much in common. Both are difficult to do daily. Writing a book though, taught me more about how to live life, than I could have ever imagined. I had to commit to the first, in order to succeed in the second.

          I went to You Tube and started listening to advice given by all sorts of writers, successful and some not so successful. I stayed true to myself, and didn't take everything they said as pure gospel. I was selective in the information that I found helpful.

          The common thread for most true writers is that they are committed to themselves and their craft. "Write every day," all of them said. "Always, read books that you find interesting, and read as many as you can."

          When I started the first book, I was proud that I wrote 300 words a day. Quickly, that escalated, and jumped to 800 words a day. By now though, I was somewhat obsessed with what I was doing, and soon after, I was pushing 1800 words a day. Within weeks, 3000 words a day was the acceptable number for me.

          My reading didn't change much, but how I read did. I was now a student, and my favorite authors were my teachers. They were storytellers, and that is what I wanted to be, a teller of stories.

          The commitment to myself was one thing, the effort, I soon discovered, another. That is where life came into focus. I could easily commit to losing 20 pounds, but the effort to achieve my idea of losing 20 pounds was something else. I wanted to walk every day, just because I felt healthier when I did, (my commitment), but finding the time seemed to be a different story. (My effort to live life.)

          Once I finished the first book, and then re-read it, adding and subtracting words and sentences, I knew that not only had I committed to myself, but I made the effort, and for me, that is what counted.