I'd like to take a moment to talk about the books I keep on the shelf in my office. These books have never made it to a real bookshelf, they've always been close to where I work. Hardly used, they still hold significance.

1. The reddish binder - this is my novel. First draft completed a long time ago with just a few edits in the margins. It needs a complete rewrite and someday I will accomplish that feat. Everyone has a novel in their heads - an idea they think the world would want to read...

I've always had a connection to the written word. It isn't to language itself - I can be quite inarticulate when speaking - put a pen in my hand and words just flow. I'd love to get paid to write, to have others read the novel, still in its shitty first draft phase, on my shelf, but like so many of the writers profiled here, life's distractions currently take precedence. Luckily, I can nerd out with my favorite authors by reading their books and going behind the curtain of their individual...

Shifting from the full-time corporate world to one of freelance affords me the opportunity to refocus on my passion, writing. Having more time to write, as well as an incentive to continue developing my writing skills forced me to look at my own writing process and really discover I can produce my best work. After having gotten so much advice over the years about writing, the most important bit I can pass along is to practice. Ignore whatever else people tell you to do to be a good writer....