In this third act of my life, I am pursuing a career as a writer. Although I have been writing and designing curriculum for my classroom for years as a professional educator, I have only had a few items published back in college. Somewhere along my journey to my writing career, I abandoned my passion for writing.  

 I officially retired in the winter of 2017. I chose to retire early due to a family member's illness that required my care. During this period of my life, I leaped back into the world of writing for personal moments of respite. Over the years, I had forgotten how much I loved the craft of storytelling. 

 I am sure, many others who are embarking on a new career in their third act in life find the world of technology both intimidating and overwhelming as I did. Nonetheless, the challenge of new technology can also be enticing to the young at heart. The modern world of technology is amazing. However, I found that sometimes there is no place to go for guidance.

 Here is how I opened my door to the world of writing without feeling overwhelmed.

1.  I visited my local library and book stores to review books on the topic of writing. The following books provided a starting point for planning my writing goals: The Memoir Project by Marion Roach Smith and DIY MFA Write Read Build by Gabriela Pereira.
2. I organized my desk to create a central location for my writing. I included a master calendar to plan my writing sessions. Also, I gathered all my old writing journals to review for writing ideas.
3. I obtained free information on the topic of writing on the internet from the following sites: https://www.ted.com/topics/writing, https://www.thecreativepenn.com (free ebook on publishing) hosted by Joanna Penn, and https://diymfa.com (free Starter Kit for new subscribers) hosted by Gabriela Pereira. 
4. I reviewed other sites for additional information. Here are two easy sites I selected because they offered a free limited membership to publish my writing:  https://www.booksie.com and https://wordpress.com.  
5. I enrolled in a free writing course online with https://www.futurelearn.com. I also took a course on the history of Copyright laws from their site. 
6.  I connected with NaNoWriMo, better known as National Novel Writing Month. In November of 2019, I accepted the challenge and wrote a 50,000-word novel. A novel that I am currently revising. Their blog provides inspirational posts year-round. They also offer guidelines on everything from the publishing process to finding feedback. 
7. I subscribed to a few sites that offered support like The Write Life. This writing website suggests ideas for blogging, pitching ideas, guest posting, and much more.
8. I connected to two sites to receive free newsletters on writing tips from two well-known authors Jane Friedman https://www.janefriedman.com/ and David Farland https://mystorydoctor.com/.
9. I subscribed to the following two sites to improve my writing skills  https://support.grammarly.com  and https://prowritingaid.com. I chose these particular sites because they are simple to use and have a free limited membership.
10. I enrolled in two local writing groups to build my writing community. A local author conducts the first group, and we meet once a week. The Osher Progam for lifelong learners on the nearby university campus offers the second.

These are the building blocks that help me manage my career. Of course, there have been occasions when I still feel overwhelmed, but now I have friends who support me. All of these components have become the foundation for my writing journey.  

Most importantly, I learned that to build my craft as a writer takes patience, planning, and tenacity.