TURNING SIXTY

Our amazing friend Kathy Wiechman guest blogs today.  We know (and love) Kathy from two Highlights Founders workshops and co-blogging with her over at Swaggerwriters.  After over thirty years of writing fiction and submitting her work to various publishers, Kathy has been offered a contract with Boyds Mills Press.  Today, she writes about determination, age and writing success.  

CONGRATULATIONS KATHY!!!

(Kathy Wiechman, Jon Egan, Melissa Kline, Regina Gort, Juliet Bond, Grace Buonanno and Rich Wallace)

TURNING SIXTY

               By Kathy Cannon Wiechman

     It seems a number of entertainment types are turning sixty. Christie Brinkley. Howard Stern. Oprah. They are celebrating their birthdays with joy. But they have already achieved great success in their chosen fields.

     I seldom discuss my age, but for my dear friends, Juliet and Gina, I make an exception. I found turning sixty disheartening. I have been writing since Age five, and thought I would have accomplished some degree of writing success by the time I reached my “golden years.” I had a couple poems published and my short stories earned prizes in a few contests, but my real goal (and dream) was to have a novel published. I have been writing them for more than forty years. By the time I reached that milestone birthday, I was working on my eleventh novel. None of the first ten have been published. But disheartened does not mean giving up.

     On December 16, 2013, I signed a contract with Boyds Mills Press, and I’m currently working with my editor on final revisions for LIKE A RIVER, that eleventh novel! Not giving up finally paid off! The actual birthday might have been disheartening, but the dream is alive and well!

Motivation for Monday

My good friend, Juliet

I can think of no two better motivators than good friends and good news.

Let me first start with a very good friend, Juliet Bond. With her help, we created this blog. She has gently nudged me into bloghops and kept me on my toes to keep our blog current. When she suggest that we post our original poetry, I was so hesitant but now I'm glad that we do it.

She was the one who encouraged me to apply for a residency at Writer's in the Heartland thinking that it'd be a great experience for us to attend together, 10 days of writing away from home.

Then last week she received an email stating that she hadn't gotten in. I was worried that I was next for the chopping block. But instead received notification that I had been chosen. It was such a bittersweet celebration. This is my first acceptance to anything in a long time. But I'll have to go it alone.

Please know this, Juliet, that I am so thankful every day to have you for a friend!