Today I realized I needed to tally up my writing time spread out in bits and pieces over several years while I was doing other work. The actual real time for the volume of work I have written only adds up to a little over two years.
ACCOMPLISHMENTS
- Honourable Mention, Literature Award
- November National Novel Writing Month Award for completing the challenge by writing a 50,000 word novel in November, which I actually completed in three weeks
- For my company’s blog, http://www.connectingthedotswiththerespectprinciple.com, I write and share other people’s articles relevant to the blog’s focus. The blog has followings from over 70 countries
- Wrote and published in print a 100 limited edition copies of mu first Connecting The Dots With The Respect Principle book
- Wrote and recorded in a studio the splay, Charles Choice, to address bullying in schools. The play has now become the cornerstone for presenting the Connecting The Dots With The Respect Principle in schools and in future, as part of a school video production contest
- Wrote and epublished several non-fiction and children’s fiction books through Smashwords, an American ebook retailer and distributor, but removed the books when informed by the founder that what sold best in ebook format is adult fiction. Still have one short story and a small book available for sale on Smashwords
- During my first year of writing, kick-started by essay writing for university in my forties, 700 poems, 40 short stories that included six of my Little Jack children’s series, and my first book poured out of me in stream-of-conscious writing. Several poems and short stories were published, and even paid for, by literary journals, trade magazines, trade journals, newspapers, a university newsletter, and anthologies. An anthology, Shore Words, dedicated to Lake Huron was published by a Port Elgin, Ontario publisher that hosted a press event with book signing by the 26 contributors that I participated in as writer of the poem, Rolling Thunder. My first book received interest from an Arizona publisher, but I declined the offer at the time due to its very personal and damaging content
All of these writing achievements resulted even without my having high school English, but after the writing my GED, passing a few English courses in business school, and my essay writing for a few York university courses before I dropped out in my forties, though the high university marks served as the catalyst to my rediscovering and reclaiming my writing aspirations.
And all of these writing achievements were also accomplished while I was doing other jobs that I excelled at, but were stifling and frustrating for me even though they included writing reports, newsletters, etc. Why I spent a lifetime doing other jobs rather than what is a natural fit for me, writing, was because people convinced me, for whatever reasons, that writing was and still is not a real job. Yet one only has to look at our world, driven more than ever by the written word to know the exact opposite is true.
But my writing successes that would normally have been accomplished in a few years reveals the deepest truth of who I really am (an introvert/geek/nerd/seeker/researcher/book reader/ writer) and what work is right for me, so now I am applying for freelance writing jobs as well as writing (blog posts, books, and grant applications) for my social business venture.
The good news is this big picture realization certainly gave me the confidence boost to not settle for anything less than the writing life I dreamt of when I was a child. And I am sharing my story not just to secure freelance writing work and grants for my social business venture, but because my experience serves as a vital message to anyone that it is never too late to be who we really are.
And personally, I thank God for all I am and have yet to be.
KAITLIN ANN TREPANIER
Advocate Innovator Writer Social Entrepreneur & Founder
Connecting The Dots With The Respect Principle
Smashwords interview @ www.smashwords.com
© All Rights Reserved 2014-2019
July 14, 2019
Revised July 18, 2019
