It All Started Here, With You

I'm not much of a positive-thinking type. I've always been more of a realist. But maybe I've been wrong. Maybe dreams do come true. Sometimes that's hard to believe when life has kicked you in the pants over and over again.

When I joined Vocal about 4 years ago, I was a terrified, deeply insecure writer. Despite writing from the time I was able to grasp a pencil in my tiny toddler hand, I never shared my words. While they seemed good to me on some abstract level, I was sure they weren't good enough.

I was sure people would laugh at me. And that was something I couldn't bear.

I was lured in by the $20,000 prize for a short story about a little black book. I didn't win. I don't think I even shared the story.

Oh, I joined all the Facebook groups, but I was shy. I was scared. I was in awe of the talented writers getting Top Stories and dozens of comments. They were the cool kids. I could never compare to them. So I sat back quietly and with admittedly, a little envy.

As time went on, I began sharing some of my work, a poem here, a short story or a personal essay there. To my surprise, I found a community that embraced and encouraged me. The cool kids (and you know who you are) let me in!

Through reading their work, I learned a great deal about the craft of writing, especially my biggest weakness, writing fiction. Through their encouragement and kindness, I gained confidence both in my words and in myself.

But even then, I only shared my work with strangers and my new Vocal friends. My friends and family had no idea I ever wrote a word, aside from my husband and later, one of my sons, who also aspires to be a writer.

I just "knew" they'd think I was crazy. Silly Misty and her fanciful dreams, hahaha. Yeah, I didn't need that. And what if they hated my work?

Eventually, I won a few challenges. I got a few Top Stories. And I made some great friends.

I slowly stepped out of the confines of the platform and shared my words more widely.

And then, I moved on to my dream - writing a book. You know how everybody says, "I'm going to write a book someday?" Well, I meant it. Over the decades, what the book would be changed a few hundred times, but the goal of someday writing a book remained in the back of my mind.

And I did.

It took 2 years to complete. Two years of research, sleepless nights, too much coffee, blood, sweat and tears. Two years of excitement, self-doubt, starting, stopping, joy and frustration.

And then it was done.

And then it was published.

And I was excited and proud. Not only because I completed what I set out to do but because the novel is a tribute to one of my ancestors, my 6th great grandfather who ran from slavery when he was 15.

And also because it's historical fiction. Fiction, my weakness, the one genre I felt I was never very good at. The one form of writing that never came easy and often made me hate the very thought of ever putting down another word.

But somehow, I managed to write something that people liked. The reviews have been great. And to my surprise, my novel, I Ran So You Could Fly (The Paris O'Ree Story) has become a best seller on Amazon.

That little orange banner smiles at me like the sunshine on a summer day.

And to think, it all started right here, with you. Thanks guys!