I just renewed my subscription to Writer's Market Online, after several years away. I was surprised (and pleased!) to find that WM had maintained all my data just as it was all this time. While many of the markets no longer existed (or had changed enough to be unrecognizable), it was nice to see as through a time portal what was interesting to me 'way back then.

Then I deleted it all, and made new folders.

I'll be candid: this renewed interest in writing is financial in nature. I'd like to see if I can supplement my income and make some family goals happen faster than they otherwise would. I never stopped writing: I've contributed to several blogs and endless online discussions.  I just haven't been paid for it.

Oh, and I have a 50,000 word first draft of a novel courtesy of National Novel Writing Month '06. Someday I may get over the grimaces that come to my face when I read it, and edit the heck out of it.

So far, I have one book idea I'm enthused about, and a couple of magazine article concepts. It may take a while to get back into the rhythm of spending my mornings writing as I used to do. But I had a book proposal accepted once, so I know I can do it again.  (Unfortunately, the computer manufacturer whose product I was writing about had the bad taste to go out of business just as I submitted by 650-page manuscript. But that's besides the point.)

I hope to meet kindred spirits here on WMO and share joys and frustrations.