Things are busy at Casa Laura these days with the vast majority of that busy-ness put there by my own two hands. But sometimes, when you want something bad enough, you have to make some choices…

Do you step up to the plate and hit the ball as hard as you can?

Or do you take a walk and hope the next guy hits one hard enough to propel you around the bases?

There’s no doubt there’s some attractive qualities to option number two (like getting to catch your breath while you’re watching the other guy swing). But if you want stuff to happen, your best shot is to swing it hard all on your own.

I’ve swung a lot over the past year or so. Good, hard hits that have met their mark. At least as far as my writing career goes.

Which leaves me with yet another choice.

Do I stand there and watch the ball? See if it makes it over the wall?

Or, do I start running just in case?

Me? I start running (I guess I’m not one for leaving things to chance). Mainly because I need to know—when the game is over—that I gave it my best. That way there’s no regrets, no second-guessing, no should-a’s, no could-a’s.

That’s why, as writers, we have websites.

That’s why some of us blog (I’ve started blogging daily on my personal website: www.elizabethlynncasey.com ).

That’s why we need to resist the urge to let a day slip away compliments of the internet and other nefarious time-killers.

That’s why…when working on one project…we start thinking ahead to the next (the more teams you’re playing for, the better).

That’s why we stay open to the voice in our head rather than become a slave to a particular genre (my first romance—Kayla’s Daddy—is now available).

That’s why we wear what seems like a million different hats during the course of a day (writing, editing, creating, marketing, advertising, web designing, etc.).

There are days where I feel I do it well and days when I know I could be doing more…and better.

But as long as I keep swinging…

And as long as I keep hitting…

I’ll keep running.

Because it’s the only way to get where you’re going.

Here’s to 2010… May it be a year of some great hits for each and every one of us.

Hugs,

~Laura