So I don't know if anyone actually reads this, but I enjoy having some place to put my work.

The writing process is hard. I don't think that I ever appreciated the amount of work that went into creating a truly great book. I say that because there is plenty of tripe out there - and believe me is that's all I wanted then I could have written 10 novels by now.

But I want something timeless. I want a story you get to the end of and feel sad because you have been forced to leave that world. I want a story that you become part of, that you wished the people were your friends, that when someone asks you who you want to have coffee with it takes you a moment to answer because you feel silly naming a fictional character.

I want a story with heart and soul, that displays a life.

I remember being in a writing group in high school and someone brought in submission material from smaller publishing firms and writing magazines. I read with horror the list of what these people want, or did not want, in their stories...

- There will be no sex, alcohol, drugs, bad language, lust, inappropriate behavior, judgment, prejudice, gossip, theft, etc. etc. etc. (you get the picture)
- Our readers expect a good story that is easy to read, please keep the content to a light feeling.

And what is life? I ask. Life is a series of experiences faced over time. I love those stories that are the one daring thing someone did in their life, the one trial they overcame. Good for them, but life is a series of daring things, of trials. People succeed or fail, they stumble and they struggle, they face challenges and decisions and then deal with the outcome of their choices. So how can you adequately write a story that is true or honest or meaningful or good if you cannot encompass any of the parts of life?

My characters are far from perfect, and that is wonderful. My characters are real, they are not cookie cutter, but figures facing the true daily grind of life.

Who knows. I've spent the last five years (off and on) toiling over stories I feel so far from finishing. Maybe it will be another year before they're done - maybe they will never get published, but when I hand a copy to someone I can do it with pride because I didn't settle as a writer and chose instead to produce something of substance, instead of something easy...