I've got an occupational therapist working with me at the moment and she's been very encouraging about my writing.  The chronic illness I live with has shut down so many things that I used to do, but I'm still able to write and paint pictures with words.  Last time I tried to make a proper go of writing was back in the days before e.books and getting a publisher to look at a manuscript was very hard work.  And if they did show some interest having to edit and tailor a book to fit a particular market could get downright discouraging.

Now things are different and circumstances have conspired to put me in the position of not having anymore excuses as to why I can't get around to actually putting pen to paper.  When I took early retirement my co-workers at the clinic told me to make sure I use the time to write.  And did I? - not really.  A few more sketched out 1st drafts that fade out about 2/3rds the way through were added to the pile and not much else was done.

I'm now committing to writing everyday as if writing is my job.  I'm fed up with lying about feeling depressed while life is passing me by.

Here's a book you might want to read: The Passionate, Accurate Story: Making Your Heart's Truth into Literature, by Carol Bly.  She was a wonderful writer of short stories, little known because her milieu was the Midwest rather than somewhere fashionably coastal. She was also a compassionate, funny, smart, fiercely moral human being.

I'm not generally a fan of short stories, but hers, I read and reread for their humanity and their moral compass -- not to mention the quality of the writing.

Even if you never write another word (but you will, of course) you'll be enriched by reading this book.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Passionate-Accurate-Story-Literature/dp/1571312196

Thank you Tysilio   I've now got that book on my 'to buy' list and will get myself a copy ASAP.

Last night when I couldn't sleep I dragged one of my old but good manuscripts from the 1990s out and made a start on  giving it a final edit and polish.  Despite all the ups and downs with my life the one thing I've been able to do is hold on to all my old manuscripts and make sure they don't go missing.  What with all the time, passion and creative emotion it takes to create a novel length story I look on these old manuscripts as being like my children so I keep them safe.
This particular story is important to me because I wrote it during my transition.  And no, it's not autobiographical apart from the fact that any author's work contains a large part of themselves threaded amongst the words on the page.