And so it begins.

I've barely started and I'm already late. I last posted to this blog in August as I was deep in marathon training and blogging about it on my other blog (http://www.beezeeblog.blogspot.com/). At that time I said I'd be back to start on this blog in earnest in the fall. Here it is, January 2010 and I'm back at it. So forgive my late arrival.

I'm actually not sure what my objective is on this blog. I have a couple of ideas - all to do with writing. (I beg mea culpa up front with this first post - it's more of a ramble and stream of conscience and not an example of fine writing.)

First and probably most important is that I just want to write. As I write I want to focus on establishing a regular writing habit. I will write on this blog and in notebooks and in Word. My words won't be Jane Austen, they won't even be Stephenie Meyer - but perhaps with practice my words will become something new, something different, something mine.

I've set a goal for myself - to write 500 words a day. Now, as a corporate writer, I'm not counting what I write at work toward this daily goal. Part of my struggle is taking my writing in a different direction. I've been writing straight-jacket corporate stuff for nearly 12 years now and I realize I need a creative outlet more than ever. I'm hoping the 500 words a day exercise will help me break out of that.

In addition to unleashing or uncovering my creativity, I'd like to use the 500 words to establish a voice for myself. I'd also like to experiment with tone and style. As I play around a bit, I may find something I'm better at or enjoy more than another style or tone.

I've always wanted to try my pen at a book and I've been tossing around an idea and sketching out characters and plot for more than a year. I'm hoping 500 words a day gets me closer to actually writing the book. I won't write it here on my blog when the time comes, but I'll talk about my process and my frustrations.

Ok, here's an interesting bit - so far this posting is only 375 words. Hmm. Wow. 500 words. Not a given. Will actually take some work. Hense the purpose of the goal. Each word counts.

Ok, that was a horrible paragraph that probably added 50 words... Seriously, 500 words a day won't be a cake walk. Anything worth doing takes effort. And I'm committed to establishing a writing habit one word at a time.

I could use advice and encouragement. I know there are experts out there. Some are writers, bloggers or consultants. I'll take direction and thoughts from anyone along the way. Please don't be shy or hesitate to give feedback.

My intention is to write at least one weekly blog post, but it's after 10 p.m. now and one of my other goals is to get to bed by 11:30 p.m. each night. So I'll wrap up this first 500-word installment, accomplishing one goal, so I can accomplish another and get ready for bed.

Ah-ha ... 545 words ... Check.

Stay Tuned

Please return to this site later this fall to follow my quest to become a fiction writer. Once I've completed the Twin Cities Marathon on October 4, 2009, I will transition my energy, creative thinking and blog-writing activity to this blog.

More to come. Follow me on Twitter for news about the start of this blog.

Page one - everything has to start somewhere

Welcome to my blog called Turning Pages. My intent here is to simply write about what makes my life worthwhile - from my family to my hobbies to my goals.

So, this will be a fairly self-indulgent experiment for me. If you like some of the same things I do (reading, writing, running, yoga, watching movies, listening to music) than you may find some tidbits of value or interest here.

I will try to talk most about my hobbies and my goals - such as running a half and a full marathon this year - and not so much about my family. While they are the MOST important parts of my life, I'm going to keep details about them private.

So - with those general ground rules, let the blogging begin!