Dream Come True…Now What?

Hi, I’m Nikki, also known as Starcat. I’m a published author. Yay!!!

Ever since I was a little kid, that’s what I wanted to be. Now I’m 43, and my first book has just been published. Why did it take so long? Well, the old story. I bought into the culture’s tales about not being able to make a living as a writer, went and studied something else, had a pretty successful career…and gradually woke up to the fact that I wasn’t living my dreams or pursuing my passions. So I (mostly) quit my day job and here I am.

Granted, I learned a whole lot along the way. I have skills that I’m finding very useful now that I’m working for myself. Things like organization, public speaking, and networking. I draw on my career in public radio, my earth-based spiritual practices as a Pagan priestess, and the sense of freedom and joy I have as a Mom to two always-unschooled kids. And I’m still learning (always learning); ethical marketing, social media, and spiritual entrepreneurship are among my favorite subjects right now. Most of my writing is non-fiction, centered around personal spirituality.

So, why this blog? I’ve achieved my lifelong dream, only to find that there’s much more to do! The time came to promote my book, and there are many tasks associated with that big project. I’m starting some new creative projects as well, both for my business (my partner BlackLion and I run a website called Feline Dreamers, where we offer tools to help people live their spirituality every day)  and for myself (I feel my second book calling me). It’s a lot to keep track of, even for an organized Virgo type like me.

A few months ago, I noticed an intriguing post on Facebook from my friend Shan, a fellow unschooling Mom who I haven’t met in real life yet. It was a post linked from one of her blogs, and talked about something called, intriguingly, A Round of Words in 80 Days (aka ROW 80). I started following her blog. I was enthralled by her journey as a writer, and interested in the ways she organized her various projects and goals. I wondered if I should join in.

ROW 80 participants are supposed to make twice-weekly updates on their progress, and give and receive encouragement and comments from their fellow writers. While the talk of word counts and WIPs (works in progress) fascinated me, I thought my regular blog readers would become bored. I usually write about spirituality and unschooling, and share my ponderings on living a spiritual life. This sort of behind-the-scenes writerly stuff could be an unwelcome interruption, so I put my ROW 80 plans on a back burner.

Until now. Now I’m ready for the organization, support, and encouragement that I feel ROW 80 will bring to my virtual desk. So, with the help of BlackLion, who is a wiz at all things web, I started a new blog for this very purpose.

Welcome, fellow writers! I’m sure we’ll be getting to know one another as I jump in with both feet to my first Round. In the meantime, if you’d like to know more about me, I’ve linked to my websites over on the sidebar. Come visit, if you feel so inspired. Blessings to you in your creative work!