HEIDI CIECIURA #thrillerwithlove

This is the introduction post for my 12 month writing adventure! I plan to journal my progress from first draft to agent submission as I attempt to write my first book in five years! I hope you will follow my ups and downs and maybe feel inspired to go on your own writing or reading adventure (or both)!

This isn’t just a hello though, it’s a promise of commitment. It’s an anchor point to help me focus on my goals for 2026 and also a way to get out into the world, to connect and engage with others, something that I have to admit I struggle with. Writing can be a lonely endeavour and one that can leave you feeling like you’re casting your soul out into the world and no one is seeing you. It can fill you with a sense of accomplishment and joy but can also be frustrating and even disheartening. I have to admit there are times in the last few years when I have misplaced my love of the craft, and wondered if the literature industry was still a place I wanted to inhabit. It’s definitely a different landscape than when I was a little girl dreaming of being a published author, with changes both positive and negative to navigate. My obsession with storytelling just won’t let me quit, though, and through stubbornness or determination I have vowed to see this project to completion… and then, of course, there will be new ideas, but those are literally another story…

So here I am, on the cusp of a new year, saying to self-doubt and procrastination, “No, I won’t give up! You can’t have my dream! It’s mine, however messy and far off into the distance it seems.” And I will record my endeavour, the lows, the highs and everything in between to keep me motivated, to hold myself accountable, and maybe even to inspire others. I think Anne Rice said it best: “If you want to be a writer, write. Write and write and write. If you stop, start again. Save everything that you write. If you feel blocked, write through it until you feel your creative juices flowing again. Write. Writing is what makes a writer, nothing more and nothing less.”