It’s been an interesting journey. And some of you have followed from the very beginning.

I started writing in 2002, a couple of years after I failed my first year in college, and decided that engineering held no interest for me, but maybe I could try my hand at this writing thing. For months, I read websites, newsletters, journals, and magazines, never once having the courage to write anything of my own.

But in 2002, I finally put my fingers to keyboard. I learned how to type, I submitted my first manuscript and my first query letter, I got published, and I started a website. I started chronicling my journey on a weekly basis, and many writers, some of who still remain readers of this blog, followed.

It’s been interesting looking back over my shoulder this past week as yet another writer who started out with me has closed the doors of her office to venture into teaching. I don’t see this as a negative thing. She thought she was a writer, achieved some success with it, and during the process, realized that her true passion lies elsewhere. So she’s off to teach kids in school.

But others I started out with have remained. Some have becoming best-selling authors, some have become Hollywood scriptwriters, others are ghostwriters for celebrities, and even more, like me, have continued writing for magazines and newspapers– expanding, experimenting, and changing, no doubt.

I hadn’t realized until I stepped back this week and looked over my shoulder, how far I’ve come from where I started. Maybe it’s a good idea to remember that every once in a while.