Tammie Tuley

Writing is in my blood. Finding the confidence to put myself out there, quite another. 

Growing up, I was a just a plain Jane masquerading in a Barbie doll mindset. I escaped reality through writing. Day after day, year after year, I would sit in my room for hours writing short stories, poems, and songs. As a teenager, I dreamed of being a successful writer. I thought achieving writing success would mean financial security, a magnitude of wealth, owning a California beach house, and sipping on mixed drinks with paper umbrellas. While monetary rewards are great, I have come to realize they are not the driving force behind the art.

I freely admit there were moments I wanted to throw in the proverbial towel and give up. Inevitably, each time these thoughts crossed my mind, an idea would find a way to preoccupy my thoughts. There was just something about the lonely blinking cursor on a blank page that seemed to beg me to type something………..anything! Like an addict compelled by a vice, I caved. No matter what I did, I couldn’t seem to quench my creative writing appetite.
​
I now accept that writing is simply part of my DNA or as I stated earlier, in my blood. In fact, it is the very core of my being. For years I graded my ability based on feedback from others. If positive, I could somehow justify my desire to continue; if not, I needed to learn to accept reality. Both perceptions were skewed. Writing for me is personal, something intertwined deep within my soul.  

Whether fiction or non-fiction, each genre has its’ own rules, nuance, and style. Through writing, one can do anything, be anyone, and/or achieve the impossible. 

​I’m no different than anyone else. I had hopes, dreams, and plans for my life. I have no doubt my guardian angel took a wrong turn somewhere along the way. I am convinced this navigational error was instrumental in derailing my destiny to live a debutant lifestyle. However, it is important to note that the key word here is derail, not destroy.

Throughout this fascinating journey called life, I have found that truth and reflection provide the best comedic platform for laugh-out-loud humor. Circumstances are rarely funny in the present, but often hysterical when paraphrased in the future. Life is merely a short-lived exercise of survival, humility, and learning to live beyond the happenstance of instances.
​
Life experiences are often very funny. (Mostly in hindsight, but nevertheless, funny.) So let your hair down, laugh a little and forget the outside world, even if it's just for a moment. While I admit the combination of age, experience and plain exhaustion has somewhat helped to tame the rebel within, make no mistake about it, my learning curve is far from complete. Suffice it to say that my life's journey has written the script. 

Life's requirements of a steady paycheck and benefits may have slowed me down a bit, but I managed to persevere, even if it was on a part-time basis. From freelancing for a variety of area magazines and grant writing for nonprofits to blogging for local businesses and publishing my first two books, I remained determined. Now the time has arrived. Retirement from Corporate America is rejuvenating. 

If I were to impart a bit of wisdom, it would be this: 

Life's highway is short, tough and difficult to navigate at times. The hurdles are many, and we think we have to jump over all of them! We can't! Sometimes, you simply need to go under or around the hurdles. The time has come to stop focusing on the obstacles of life and embrace the possibilities that lie beyond them.