364 days ago I began this TransGriot blog. I started with a general idea of it being an extension of my monthly column, but I've discovered that it's taken a life of its own. I've found that I've commented far more on general news events than anything strictly transgender related.
That's what I wanted.
While being transgendered is a topic that I could expound on every day and still find fresh ground to cover, the transgender aspect is only a small portion of who I am as a person. I have interests that don't necessarily involve or require total immersion in the transgender community.
One of them I will be striving mightily to achieve in the '07 is publishing one of my manuscripts. I've put that on the back burner for too long trying to get other projects off the ground like the TSTB Convention and it's time to focus on doing something for me.
As evidenced by the 100 plus posts on this blog, I love to write. I wish I had time to do ONLY that. I want (and need to) explore options that would allow me to make a living at what I love to do. I'm tired of scribbling down my ideas and character sketches on a note pad so that it's recorded until I can get home to my computer and type it up. I've got a lot of creative energy that needs to find another outlet besides the blog. I want to see my work on bookstore shelves everywhere.
But just as E. Lynn Harris and Eric Jerome Dickey did other jobs before they got the big breaks they needed to become published best-selling authors, I'm in the 'paying my dues' process as well. Those other jobs aren't exactly a waste of time. The things that have happened at my various workplaces and the interactions I have with people on a daily basis help give me story ideas. They also provide background info that I can incorporate into future manuscripts as well.
I'm just looking forward to the day when I can sign my name onto a contract with a publisher and I'm getting asked about my latest novel at a book signing event.