Back on the Map

I cannot recall how many MIA messages were sent out to me over the course of the last three months. People I rarely even talk to on a regular basis have reached out to me for a confirmation on my a live status. One of my good friends was even certain I had a new person of romantic interest in my life, because as he put it "I am way off the map." I confess there is no new love interest, it is rather a love affair with writing. Similar to other relationship I had to pour lots of attention and time into this affair. And when the writing bored me or frustrated my patience I did what some lovers do and blatantly neglected the writing, as if only to show it I had a life without it too. But, alas, I always returned and after an exhausting three months I have birthed a collection of short stories.

Things I've learned:

-Revision may never be complete in a writer's mind as they continually work on a piece. I thought I'd made several stories the best they could be early on in this process. Yet, I still find myself tweaking (ever so slightly) them with each read

-I have the patience and tenacity to began and FINISH a writing project. This is important because it's always so exciting to start something new, but it's the ending that might give you trouble. Now I know without a doubt its possible to complete an entire work.

-My writing has grown and I will survive without my workshop. The intense amount of editing I've done in a short amount of time has really fine tuned my ability to hear a cadence of a story. It is such a relief to continually revisit a project and already know what I have to change or take further without having to be told by someone. It is a gratifying moment in my growth as a writer because it gives me the confidence to push on in a project and even try something new to challenge myself.

Now I just have to make sure I get the formatting right for turning in the final project. This is just as tricky as the writing itself because I can't find a clear cut explanation of what it should look like. I've read all the instructions on the school website several times but I'm still unsure about some points. Luckily, I won't be cutting it to the very last second and will have time to reformat if I've misunderstood something. I am just glad to be done so I can rest and read more as well as get back to my other projects I put on hold.

Three cheers for graduation and getting back on the MAP!