My dream is to write and publish a novel. This is my journey…including all the speed bumps, road blocks and triumphs along the way. Most of my updates about this project will appear in the forums, and I will use the blog for random thoughts and distractions.

The distraction for the past couple of days has been the time it has taken to setup this site, and the social media apps that go along with it. This is also the second time in the past few days that I’ve had to rewrite this particular blog entry. Ah, glitches from the IT world, you follow me wherever I go.

The site itself is generic at the moment, built on a newly upgraded version of VBulletin. It will require some extensive customization before I open it to the public. All I really wanted was my own personal domain and a blog. What I’m looking at is more, much more than that. While I doubt that many of the features will ever be used, I already know that I will spend time playing with them. #distraction

My overall goal is to document the process of writing a novel (and working to get it published afterwards). Have I mentioned that I’m not a professional writer, or the fact that I’ve never actually completed a short story (do poems count)? In truth, I’m just your average IT Geek (does owning both a PC and a MAC make me above average?). I’m in my mid 40′s with a degree in Information Technology, and my most recent work in the literary world consists of emails, Twitter, Facebook and such. Other than these, the only writing credits I have would consist of a few dozen college papers… you get the idea. If experience in the field were required, I might be able to land a job writing Hallmark cards… maybe. No offense to those wonderful wordsmiths and quipsters at Hallmark.

The secondary goal is to help aspiring writers by showing them all the processes involved, each step of the way. I will do my best to keep the forum updated each week on my progress. You can also expect some video thrown in there along the way. When needed or necessary, I will post links to other sites, blogs or FB accounts that I come across in my research. There are already a few of these (including some wonderful folks on Twitter) that I should mention. As soon as I have time, I will update the site with these links.

Which reminds me.. I should also tell you that I have a full+time job. My typical work week is between 40-50 hours, and I travel extensively. Working on this site, blog, documentary & video, will take up a lot of my time. Somewhere in there I have to find time to actually write the book. On the bright side, I only sleep about 4-5 hours each night, less if I’m stuck in a hotel room. The point being, this journey to my dream will undoubtedly take much more time than it would if I just concentrated and focused on completing the book. Make no mistake though, I will get it done.

Another goal is to network with established writers and hopefully learn from their mistakes while picking up some tips to pass along. So far, every (fiction) author that I’ve met online has been wonderful to speak with. In fact, this project has already cleared up a misconception of mine. I had expected to have doors closed in my face (rejection is all part of being a writer I hear), while members of the exclusive published club sat in their study, surrounded by volumes of their own work, slowly stroking a funny looking cat.