The 28th of this month marks the ten year anniversary of my adulthood. I’m not talking about legal adulthood, I’m referring to the day I left home. I left my family, left the city I’d grown up in, and moved to a strange new place where I had to fend for myself. Sure, I had people to fall back on, and I did rely on them, but this is when I truly became an adult. Let me tell you of the things I learned.
- Proper finance handling
- Car buying (and lemon trading)
- Moving cross country
- Job hunting and keeping
- Marriage, and what it really means to have another half
- Motherhood (one beautiful daughter, and a little boy on the way)
- the meaning of Time
- the importance of being me and enjoying my own activities
That last one hit me as soon as I moved out. I went from living in a house with three other siblings, two parents, a grandparent, a dog and two cats to occupying a one bedroom apartment by myself, in a town where I knew no one. I couldn’t afford cable tv, and really, this is when I learned not only that I loved writing, but that I was good at it, and the dream came alive for me. Ten years ago, I decided I wanted to be a writer. Seriously.
In that time, I’ve researched and taken classes, and read everything I could get my hands on. The results? Take a look below.
Novels
- 3 Completed (1 of which has been edited a few times)
- 2 in progress
- 7 in various stages of worldbuilding and outlining
- 35 viable ideas (with at least 1 paragraph of notes) in 5 genres
Short Stories
- 1 published
- 1 in submissions
- 31 complete (2 are intended for novel conversion)
- 6 shelved (they were learning experiences and need to die)
- 25 awaiting edit (Yes, that’s 25 worth spending time to fix!)
- 10 started but not completed (a project for 2009)
- 3 in progress
Articles
- 2 published
- 10 ideas (being researched or in outline form)
So you see, I’ve had a busy ten years. I’ve learned much, and am continually learning. I’ve surrounded myself with positive people, and learned how and when to laugh at myself. That lesson I learned from my husband.
Tell me – either here or in your own blog – what have you accomplished? Celebrate yourself.
DAWN BONANNO 