Always wanted to write a book

Yesterday I was reading Romancing the Blog when I ran into an article written by Jordan Summers, Just what makes that little old ant think he can move that rubber tree plant and every Joe Blow off the street believe he can write a book? As I read it, this quote grabbed my attention: I’ve always wanted to write a book. I even have an idea that I think would be great. Why, you wonder. *stands up* Hello. My name is Silma, and I've always wanted to write a romance novel. I even have an idea that I think would be great. You see, that was me until 2 years ago. For years I wanted to write a novel. I believed if so and so could do it, then so could I. Besides, I felt justified by the fact that I have a BA in Literature. (Look at me. This little piece of paper says I'm an expert in Literature, so that means I can write it too.) I talked about writing novels until I noticed people avoiding me at parties and friends not calling often. I don't blame them. I'm sure they were bored to death. But even when I stopped talking about it out loud, inside I kept thinking about it. I was obsessed. Oh sure, I jolted down every idea (scenes, dialogues, titles, character names, etc.) that popped in my head. Sometimes I'd write a few scenes, but I never finished any story. Why? Work. Yep. That was my excuse. A valid one, btw, but still there it was. Then 4 years ago I quit my job of 17 years and began a new one. Finally I had nights for myself. So I found myself pondering what to do with the extra free time. Then after catching up with a lot of stuff in my life (like the huge pile of TBR books, letters to friends, creating websites, etc.), 2 years ago I began thinking writing again. After 15 years of talking about it, I decided to stop talking about it and do it. Naive as I was I thought it'd be easy. Soon I discovered that it wasn't. Writing a novel was much more than just putting a string of words together. Even putting that "idea that I thought would great" for a story was harder than I expected. So it hit me that there was so much more involved in writing a novel than just, well, writing it. I began searching the web and found a few fabulous groups that helped me learn more about writing romance novels. But as I was learning to write a romance, I became aware that there are a number of subgenres so I explored and experimented, trying to find my niche. (I didn't even know there was such thing when I began this journey.) Two years ago I stepped on the road and began a journey that has changed me in so many ways. The journey has ended yet. I'd dare to say, I'm barely beginning. Along the way I've met a lot of wonderful people who had helped me soften the rocky patches. Even thought it might be true that "inside each person there's a book," the process per se of writing a book is a skill that must be learned through hardwork and discipline. Hello. My name is Silma, and I always want to write a romance novel. I even have an idea that I think would be great. *g*