In the past week, I’ve finished the rough draft of one picture book, made it up to a word count of 99 (ahem,

) on another, and started yet another picture book (I’m already up to 129 words on it, not all great words, but words that give some sense of form to the thing).

At this rate, I’ll never finish my novel.

Secret Goals. I guess you could call those wishes. You know, those things that you know will probably in million years never happen but you still hope anyway. One of my secret goals…is…towriteabookthatwillbeillustratedbyMarlaFrazee. Gosh, I love that woman’s art. I know. I don’t have any control over who will illustrate my books. And I’m over the moon already about the two illustrators chosen for my first two picture books. (this one! and this one! )

But I’ve got more books in me and you know…one can dream.

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain

Did Mark Twain really say this? I can’t find the original, so I’m not sure, but there are several sources that have it attributed to Twain. But I’ve been thinking about this quote as I look back on 2007. I can confidently say I sailed away from safe harbor in 2006. But in 2007, I began to tread water, to second guess myself. I feared the sails might even be in shreds. And the boat’s motor gave out a long time ago. So rather than wander around in circles, blown about by the wind and wishing the Coast Guard would somehow come save my tattered shred of a novel, 2008 is going to be the year I swim. It’s going to take a lot of muscle. But there’s a lot yet to be discovered. The horizon is just ahead.