Beginning

Every novel should have a beginning, a middle, and an end. - Peter De Vries

I swear I used to be an intelligent, semi-well read individual who could form comprehensive enjoyable sentences that didn't suffer from a plethora of likes and so's. I used to know grammar backward and forward, that you don't end sentences with that thingie, what do you call it? Prepositional phrase? No, that's not it. It will come to me. Somewhere along the way I've picked up the bad habit of saying 'thingie' and whatchamacallits' and putting everything I want to accent in CAPITALS and 'apostrophes'. Then I sit and worry about if the period should be inside or outside the parentheses and if my spellcheck is really telling me all that is wrong or if it has joined the bandwagon of bad speech to include words that are social acceptable but really spelled incorrectly. I believe I'm digressing. Is that even possible?

I've always wanted to write a novel or mystery. My mother and I have thought up book titles many times when we find something funny that we feel should be shared with the world. I wish I had kept a list of all those ideas. Edgar Rice Burroughs says:

"If you write one story, it may be bad; if you write a hundred, you have the odds in your favor."

I bet I had a best seller among all the ideas I've come up with over the years and didn't even know it!

There is never a perfect time to start writing. I have many excuses of why to wait:
until I have more time
the kids have moved out
I turn 40, 50, 60
I retire
I had a novel idea

My fears tend to be:
what if I fail
what if I suck
what if I get writer's block
what if I can't write everyday
what if I can't finish
what if I finish but can't get it published
what if people don't think I have it in me
what if I don't think I have it in me
what if...

I'm also worried that I will lose interest. I have always wanted to write, books, articles, newspaper columns, etc... but have never pursued that dream with any effort. What is it going to take to go for it?