As I have said from the beginning of my blog posts, "Writing is a journey," and I still believe that. Yet, somehow I think that there are other writers out there who would tend to agree with me that our writing often crisscrosses with our life's journey, taking twists and turns when we least expect it. At times it can be exceedingly difficult to know which way to turn, while other times, getting off that beaten path can open up our writing to a whole new experience.

For example, as I was on the brink of releasing my second book, The Cry Beyond the Door, I experienced a family crisis, yet I released my book anyway. Bad move. I struggled to follow through with its publication, which caused me to lose focus and stumble off what I perceived as my writing path. Then when the pandemic hit, I veered even further off the path, lost amid the "coulda shoulda woulda's" (sound familiar?).

Then, the unexpected occurred. During a rare adventurous day (outside, of course)  with my granddaughter, we shared the idea to write a book based on one silly saying we'd repeated over and over that day, "Maybe, just maybe." Our desire to stay connected, though we lived in adjacent states, planted the seed to begin a journey together off the beaten path.

And what a journey it's been!  We've learned from each other, and laughed with each other. After co-authoring two books, we've created our own path, sharing a wonderful new experience together. I don't believe it gets much better than that. 

So, in the future, when life throws me a curve that sends my writing off the beaten path, I'll try to take a moment. It might lead me down a new path, or one that will eventually lead me back to the old one, but either way, if I continue to write regardless of the journey, I can't help but move forward.

To every writer, whether you've published a million copies and written dozens of books, or whether you're working on that first big one, remember to support other writers, and/or choose to inspire a budding one along your path. It'll make both your journey and someone else's more enjoyable as well as memorable.
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