Meet my drill sergeant. And I say that with gratitude and love.

8 Aug
0

This is Darcy Eikenberg, friend and creative person extraordinaire. In this picture we’re gussied up for the Rita and Golden Heart awards dinner at the Romance Writers of America conference. We’re known each other since before Mandela was freed, before CDs existed, back when I wrote term papers on my portable typewriter in the dining room of the sorority house. Darcy was the first person I knew who had a computer—a Mac, back when they weighed 40 pounds and had a screen the size of a postage stamp.

It’s Darcy’s fault that I’m writing this blog. You see, more than a year ago, I coerced Darcy into being my writing cop. I asked her to enforce a deadline for me to send her my completed screenplay. (So what I’d been working on that screenplay for 10 years? Literally.) I was late, but I did it. And that led me to taking a screenwriting course via UCLA’s online program, after which I had a detailed outline of a romantic comedy and a much clearer idea of structure. But instead of writing a script, the film outline became the basis for my first novel. I discovered a new passion—writing fiction—and I owe it all to Darcy.

Darcy is a career coach/mentor, so I shouldn’t have been surprised when she turned out to be my catalyst. Check her out at coachdarcy.com. Maybe she’ll inspire you!

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