Fall!

I love fall.  I love it when the seasons change, and I love the first day that I realize that summer is truly over.  That day was today!  I finished the draft of my short story last night, and turned it in today.  We were put into critique groups in class, different ones than we had been in before, so we'll see where that goes...  I happen to be in a group with both of the other advanced students ("advanced", taking the higher level of the same course, basically just being in the same class and doing more work), and I'm kinda excited.  Kinda, as in, I'm never quite sure what to expect with a new group, and some kinds of writing I just don't care to read.  I know that's a me issue, and I will absolutely 100% give everything I have to critiquing someone fairly, it just isn't much fun.  I'm very much a genre writer, almost any genre except regular ol' literary fiction and poorly written fantasy.  Because, phew.  Fantasy done wrong can be brutal.
     I haven't read their pieces yet, and I won't post too much about them other than my impressions and if necessary to whatever I'm talking about their plots because they're obviously not mine, but I am a little excited.  I know I'm a good writer.  Listening to people agonize over a rough draft that they spent hours on and wrote and rewrote and they hate it and it isn't any good and blah blah excuse excuse (and forgive me for saying so) makes me feel so much better about myself!  I wrote my rough draft in about three hours, including making up a story and figuring out the main points, conflict, and resolution, I printed it out, haven't reread it since, and I can tell you with near certainty that it doesn't need any grammatical changes, spelling errors, and it needs some revising, but my main story is already there.  If this makes me sound like a narcissistic bastard, you're probably right.  But I do have a lot of natural talent, and I won't try to hide it with false doubts and insecurity.  I'm good at this!  I have to be, and I have to know I am, if I ever want to get published.
     I was talking to a teacher today, and I was telling him about how I know that I'll get published.  I told him that there are only two ways my life will happen.  Only two ways anything will happen, really.  Either I will, or I won't.  That's it, just two ways!  I have a 50/50 chance!  Either I will, or I won't, and I won't let it not happen.  That's how I'm going to get published - I won't let it not happen.  I'm 23 years old, I've written a novel, and I'm writing more of them.  I may not publish my first book, or my second, but I will not live my life and never get published.  I have too much time, too much talent, and too much perseverance to fail.  So I won't.
     The power of positive thinking, folks.  It does a body good.  Disagree?  Post a comment.  Agree?  Post a comment!  I'm waiting for you folks to say something.  And I hope you're all having wonderful weeks, because I sure am.