A story is a plot, a character, and a setting glued together by conflict.

Some writers can fully outline their book before they write a single word of their novel. Other writers begin with a concept and a character, then watch the characters as they move from point A to point Z. Still, others combine those methods to give themselves a rough road map. I’ve always been the type to just start observing my characters and letting them lead me to their goal. That doesn’t always work so well.

I can’t to tell you how many times I’ve managed to start with a compelling character, only to get about 30,000 words in and lose my way. Or get bored. I know where the characters want to be. Getting there is a problem.

This is one of the reasons I looked into an Master of Fine Arts (MFA). That’s when I realized that I can’t afford to go the traditional path. I have a lot to learn about writing a novel or even a short story. I have a ton of ideas, I just lack the presentation knowledge. So, I signed up at the DIY MFA website. I’ll be bringing you on my journey as a way to reinforce what I learn. I want to use this opportunity to work on an idea that began almost 30 years ago and has morphed into something that scares the hell out of me.

It’s taken me almost a year to figure out what direction to take with my blog. Thank you for sticking with me through all the changes. I am taking off next week, but if you want to know what I do in my spare time, check out my riding blog, Adventure on a Motorcycle.