I want to be a writer. I’ve wanted to be a writer for quite some time now.  Actually, I should clarify – I want to be an author.  I’m already a writer.  I write Standard Operating Procedures, Requests for Proposal, Validation Master Plans, and many other very sexy documents in my day job.  It pays the bills, but it also smothers the soul.Why do I want to be an author (beyond the very real soul smothering I just mentioned)? Well, honestly, because I’m already an avid reader.  I love to read.  I love when a story whisks me away to a faraway land with new friends, new adventures, and a new way of thinking about the world we live in.  Most of all, I love when a story keeps its grip on me for months, even years sometimes, after I’ve read it.  Some stories have forever changed me in a very positive way, and I, too, want to write stories with a powerful and lasting impact.

I realize this is the quintessence of a lofty goal. But so what?   Why can’t I become an author of stories that leave readers thinking about the characters, the message, the morality, or immorality, for years to come?  What’s stopping me?  Well, as it turns out, quite a few things.  I call them the “Lacks” and they must be dealt with before I can ever hope to achieve my goal.

What are the Lacks? Well, they’re things like “Lack of Time” and “Lack of Confidence.”  There are actually quite a few, but I prefer not to list them all out now as that would spoil this blog series before it got off the ground.  And, I have a sneaking suspicion my current list of Lacks will grow as I get further along in writing this series.

Oh, and I did just use the word “blog.” This is a blog and I am now officially a blogger.  I never saw myself as a blogger, yet here I am writing my first ever blog about all of the things (some mere excuses, some actual obstacles) blocking my path to writing, and hopefully publishing, great stories.  By writing this introduction to my blog series I am actually addressing the very first Lack in this series, “Lack of Experience.”  I am banishing my lack of writing experience by starting this blog.  Two birds, one stone, and one bullish blogger who would do well to remember that writing one blog article does not mean she’s arrived at her destination, it means only that she has just begun her journey.

The next Lack will be revealed, and hopefully banished, next week.

Until then, happy writing!