Writing...Just because!

Today I'm pleased to welcome author Nancy Christie as part of her 'Birthday Blog Tour' for her new collection of stories recently published by Pixel Hall Press. Here is her personal story of perseverance and commitment to her passion for writing.  When I think about how I went from writing individual stories to having eighteen pieces published as Traveling Left of Center and Other Stories  it is less a case of going right, left or straight ahead and more like the Beatles’ song: “The Long and Winding Road.” And it has been a long and winding road—long, because I started writing short stories in second grade (many many decades ago!) and winding because my writing has followed a very hit-or-miss pattern. There were some years when I wrote like mad, other years, when I wrote not so much or not at all—not because I didn’t want to but because of personal responsibilities or my own fear that if I tried, there would be nothing there. But every now and then, a story idea ...

As I've shared before, my life is not complete or balanced unless I have the opportunity on a regular basis to meet with and share 'the writing life' with fellow scribes. The writers' group that has formed... no, actually it's not just formed, it's come alive, for me in Phuket gives me something to look forward to every month. Many of the members have become true friends as well. You know, the kind that will stay with you for a lifetime! I know this is the case with this group, especially since we are bound together by a wonderful collaborative project that finally culminated last month (Happy New year to us!) in the publication of Phuket Island Writers - An Anthology of Short Stories . What a proud moment this past Saturday when we all held hard copies in our hands! Here's the back cover blurb: What do you get when you mix multiple nationalities and personalities with an island paradise and a boatload of creative ideas? For one eclectic (and some m...