My first legal employer, Joe, looked at my resume the day he hired me and noted that I was an English major. Somehow he knew I wanted to be a writer. Just like maybe he wanted to be a rock star. He said if I wanted to do this law gig that I'd have to give up that dream. It was easy for me to agree. I'd already come to that realization when I made the decision to go to law school.

Yet now I'm not sure he or I were right. Most published authors become who they are while doing something else. And though creative purists may cringe, I have become a better writer through my law school experience. When I was younger, I eschewed all rules in the name of unbridled creativity; I bristled at any semblance of order or structure as conformity. Yet I needed some of those rules and structures to clean up my writing. Also, I am now looking forward to my third non-fiction article publication. That will help. Moreover, I now am dating a terrifically talented writer who is well ahead of me in the getting published endeavors.

So turning my back on my all or nothing strategy of trying to get my novels published (as it was "nothing"), I'm looking back at short stories and trying to figure out how to make them work. It is the "traditional" way to go, and sometimes that's just how you have to do it. So far I've made good progress on two stories and am now working on a third. I'm waiting for Sarah to look over the first two for an outside perspective.

More to follow.