As every writer knows, it’s not the beginning or the ending of the book that is the hardest, it’s the middle.  Much like life, I believe.  We can’t always control the beginning, the ending can come with surprise, but the middle is what counts.

In trying to come up with a title for this blog, I tossed out a number of options (including some terrible ones like “Jeannie’s Nifty Blog”) until I finally heard a song by Sugarland, called Happy Endings.  It made me realize how much of life is about looking for happy endings.  And yet, because you don’t know if the end was happy until you get TO the end, life is really all about the middle.

And as a writer, our process is not only about the “happy ending” of getting published, but also about everything we learn along the way.  In this business, where does the “happy ending” exist? Is it the first book sold? The fifth? The last?  Or is it finishing your first manuscript?  Winning a contest? Landing an agent?  Or even just learning something new that helps your writing?  All of these things are part of the writer’s journey and each one is a happy ending in its own right.   So this blog is dedicated to the pursuit of becoming a writer and every single happy ending along the way.

In 2008, I turned this into a community blog.   I really wanted to offer more opinions, more experiences for readers, so the Happy Endings Community Blog was born and today we have an amazing group of authors and writers sharing their experiences.  In 2010, my goal is to bring you not only our voices, but more voices throughout the writing community, getting to know the aspects of writing and the community that I have found to be so rich, so willing to share and generous to everyone.  I’m a fan of the writing community, and this community blog is truly my testament to that fact.

If you are interested in participating or scheduling time, please see the Special Guests page or contact me directly at happyendings at jeannieruesch.com.

Our topics cover all realms of being a writer — from helping you succeed to sharing gripes when we don’t.    Take a look around and enjoy.