Something Like Sabotage

I’ve always been a color inside the lines, play by the rules kind of girl. But sometimes, with those lines we draw and those rules we decide to follow, we can actually sabotage ourselves. I realized recently that by labeling myself a short story writer I’d created my own limits. I’d boxed myself in and narrowed my world to a particular area that felt comfortable.

When I read a post on author Linda Urban's blog last month, where she talked about a book called "The Art of Possibility," I knew I had to read it for myself. In it, authors Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander introduce a different way of looking at the world and our relationships. It’s all about expanding our boundaries and opening ourselves up to unlimited possibilities.

In taking on writing a YA novel this year, I’ve stepped outside of the lines that I’d once drawn for myself and have entered the world of possibility.

On the days where I flounder, the temptation is to doubt myself, wonder if I’ve taken a misstep, debate going back to the comfort of shorter projects. But what this book reminds me is that I’ve embarked on new territory. The way may not be familiar, but that doesn’t mean I need to turn back. This is the world of possibility, and I think I’ll see where it leads me.

What world do you live in?