You see your cats only once a week . So sorry to hear that. My cats really behave almost like people. When they sleep on the bed or couch, they use the pillows. And, if I shake my finger at my one cat to scold him, he shakes his paw back and me. Once I yelled at him and he slapped me with his paw. My H and I laughed so hard we almost fell off the bed. We couldn't punish our cat after that but really there was no need as he was so embarrassed by being laughed at he ran away.

Anyway, I used to be a reporter but I burned out big time. I went through a bit of a depression as I didn't know what I wanted to do anymore and all I know how to do is write. I also seriously freaked out when I turned 30. I had this notion that I would be successful by then and I certainly didn't feel successful. (I don't even want to hear the mocking me for complaining about turning 30.)

But though I do love some parts of reporting, mainly the public service and protecting the underdog, I really would rather write fiction. Now I'm writing short stories but would eventually like to switch to novels. In high school and college I wrote lots of fiction and some poetry. But then I had to live in the real world and being a reporter was a way to earn a living as a writer.

Lately I have been working on a fiction portfolio, a collection of short stories, for submission to a MFA program in creative writing (which tend to be very competitive.) Unfortunately I've been writing factual stories for the past decade and am having problems switching gears to fiction. I just don't know how my stories end--the story of my life. It hasn't helped to have all these problems with my H as I'm trying to do this.


SuperStressed

P.S. -- Oh, and certainly a tiara would be called for. Maybe we can have our own Ms. and Mr. DB pageants.