Nine more days until NaNoWriMo starts once again. Last year I completed NaNo with some success and decided to keep writing all year 'round. Now that NaNo is here again I thought I'd take stock of my progress. Last year I had dozens of started projects and nothing finished. I'd been published but nothing I'd consider using as a publishing credit. I'd never written flash-fiction, or any form of short story, and never found the words to write a full novel.

This year I made the goal of sending out at least two manuscripts every month, and took two months at the beginning of the year to give me time to complete enough projects to do that. With the exception of one month where I only sent out one, and this month where I haven't sent out any, I've kept to that goal. Currently I have 7 stories in consideration right now, 1 published, 4 I pulled out of circulation because they no longer represent my skill level very well, and 2 more almost ready for circulation.

Ok. Enough about my work. Review Time!

This week my best friend and fellow writer gave me Stephen King's "On Writing" to read. It tells how Stephen King got to where he is as a writer, gives tips on writing, and then tells the story about the accident that almost killed him. I enjoyed every page of it, if only because I'm utterly relieved to find a writer who uses the same process I do. I too believe that the stories I write are already written, and that I'm just the one discovering it. His description of how he thinks stories are created matches my thoughts exactly. It's kind of scary, actually. He also showed a sample page of editing and that too relieved me. I guess no matter where you are in life, writing is the same.

If you get a chance, read the book. You won't regret it.