Wishing to be a published author

As most of you know, I'm working on writing a book. This is a big undertaking on my part.

I want to be known for something other than what I don't do for a living - yes, here I'm taking a hit at the newspaper business. I loved writing feature stories. Writing articles about people is the best thing to do in a newsroom - in my opinion. There are so many people out there - and they all have a story to tell if you let them.

I'm 28 years old and I know that's probably young for an author, but it's what I've always wanted to do since I first knew I could write. My writing style has changed a good bit over the years, developed and molded by my English teachers and creative writing professors. It's also changed because I role play online at LiveJournal a good bit as well. Playing out a story with someone else gives you so much more freedom to write one character instead of two or more.

I haven't always loved reading books, but recently I find reading nearly anything to be good. I read all sorts of things - history and romance to classics. And though I haven't been reading much lately, I still enjoy it.

It's a really important part of the creative process for me - reading my favorite authors and watching my favorite shows. Inspiration comes in many forms for me. And I can only hope that through writing this first project I can be one step closer to my dream.

Presidential candidates disappointing

I have not really followed this election as well as I would have liked, but with my job I'm not able to see any of the presidential debates. So far, I believe both candidates are a bit disappointing.

Now, let me explain. The campaigns and the mudslinging of this election have been far beyond any of those in past years. No wonder people are unsure who to vote for. As for me, I am still wondering which would be the lesser of two evils. McCain and Palin - who seem to have decent views on things - or Obama and Biden who simply like to trash talk their opponents from what I've seen on the news.

What happened to "if you have something to say, say it to my face?" Does it matter if the ads that are running paint them as hypocrites for saying something in the first place?

Last election, I did vote for the Democratic party and I know this country needs a change from Republican views. I just hope and pray that every voter will really think about what this country needs before they go to the poll. They shouldn't just vote for a candidate because of race, religion or sex. They should consider what this country needs - and right now our biggest and most urgent concern is the economy.

With the stock market still fluctuating and loosing more and more each day - will we hit rock bottom and never be able to get back up? Or will we bounce back from this and be stronger for it? Will gas stay under $3 or will we be forced to carry on as it goes back toward $4? Will health care reform come into play? Will all Americans get the health care we so desperately need in times like this? Will any of these things get done if Obama or McCain are in office? Will they just screw up even more than George W. Bush did? Will our troops come home in the next two years? Are the promises being made on the campaign trail and in debates empty? What can we as voters and Americans do to make sure our new president takes these things and does what he has promised?

These are all questions we need to ask ourselves before we pick a candidate - if we haven't already. And honestly, are we going to be better off than we were under the last president?

I'd like to hope so.