I have a lot of people to thank for helping me get to where I am in life.  Today I would like to focus on one of those people.  This post is about the kick in the butt and the arm around the shoulder I got from a very dear friend who, unknowingly, started me on this journey.  One that I thought was long since behind me.

My friend and colleague, let’s call him Professor K, is pursuing his writing dreams outside of our 9 to 5.  Watching his journey and listening to him, his excitement and passion, sparked in me the idea that it wasn’t too late to begin to think about doing this writing thing (again).

I barely wanted to breathe the idea out loud, but speaking with him encouraged me to do just that.  In September of 2017 I said the words “I want to write” to someone else, for the first time in about a decade.  It was a terrifying sentence to utter.  It’s only 4 words, but behind it were hopes and goals that a little kid from South Oshawa dreamt up long before she had any concept of what it all meant.  And here we are, many, many years later, exploring what it all can mean.

Professor K is my teacher and my confident.  He is my shoulder to lean on and cry on.  His poor shoulder is probably very wet and tired, but he endures it all, cheering me on all the way.

I trust him to dissect my work and to give me critical feedback (another post entirely).  He helps me to polish my work as I prepare to submit my writing to lit mags and beyond.  And he does all of this while honing his craft and actively chasing his own dreams.

When I first went to him and said those words….if you could have only seen his face.  It was disbelief mixed with, I’m gonna say joy – it looked like joy, but who knows for sure.  After a lot of conversations about it and a number of assignments (Professor K comes by the nickname honestly), he asked me if I had ever heard of Nanowrimo.  I thought, nano-what?  Needless to say, I had not.

He gave me the website, nanowrimo.org, told me a little about it and excitedly said, “Let’s do it!”    I must admit, I got caught up in the excitement.  I said, “Okay!”  Write a novel in a month?  Sure.  Why not!

*I will chronicle my Nanowrimo adventure in future posts, but overall I must say that it was a wonderful experience.*

With his guidance, unwavering support and critical eye, I have submitted a number of works for consideration and I am thrilled and nervous and I place all the blame squarely on his overworked shoulders.

He says I’m a writer, and while I still have trouble hearing it, I have to admit, I kind of like sound of it.

I am writing again, and it is in no small part because of him.

He is a wonderful friend and I absolutely could not have gotten started again without him.

So, Professor, from the bottom of my heart,

Thank You.

With gratitude,

Grimsey