It is no secret that I have been in a strange place for about two months now. On top of attempting to right the ship I was also handed an extra helping of uninterrupted, nonstop work. Granted, I am happy to be busy at work but when added to the situation of finding my direction it pretty much stopped everything else (writing and frequent blog updates) in its tracks. I believe I have identified a new avenue at which to wonder. Where will this road take me and what about the road I was on?

I suppose I need to cover the latter before I get to the former. The road I was on lead me to a strange place but I learned from it and I believe I am stronger for having gone there. That is one of the hidden benefits of writing; we don't know exactly where the journey will end. We have a goal and dreams of where that journey will take us but until we realize that moment of truth it remains a mystery in reality. Will I ever travel that road again? Yes, I believe I will but not at this moment. The time is not right.

This new journey will take me down a road I have traveled before but not very far. Think of it as stepping into the ocean until the water reaches your ankles then walking back on the beach. I think I've been building sandcastles long enough; it is time to take a swim.

As I have done in the past so shall I do now and that is take all of you along with me. It is my hope and goal to write more, blog more and learn more. In the end, the ultimate goal is to enhance my skill and ability as a story teller.

I am excited about this new journey but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy writing novels. In my opinion the two go hand in hand. Yes, I still feel somewhat inadequate when it comes to writing a full length novel. I have plans for more but I want my skills to match my imagination. I doubt I'm alone in that thinking. It is also important to remember, should you ever have a gut check, to give yourself time to get things figured out for yourself and discover which path you want to take. Does that mean you don't take writing seriously or you really don't have what it takes to become an author? Absolutely not! Writing comes from within and if you are struggling with your thoughts, your confidence, your muse or any number of things it will impact your writing. Rome was not built in a day and neither was an author's career.

Yes, I have been bouncing around the main topic and may have even gone off on a tangent or two so here it is. I am currently researching the art, skill and craft of writing short stories. I am always investigating there place in the modern world of publishing and if they are still popular among readers. Before you make any rash or hurried decisions about short stories I can tell you that some of my research has turned up some interesting and surprising findings.

I hope you will enjoy this journey with me as I plan to learn and share as much as I can. As a side note, while I am still hopeful of one day becoming a published author I am playing with the idea of offering my stories and projects for free. Of course that will only happen after I feel comfortable with sharing them but that is the main point - I want to share them with readers. I want to know what they think and feel after reading one of my stories more than anything else.

What do you know about short stories? What would you like to know about them?