The time has finally come for me to start sharing my story.  For almost three years, people have been telling me I have to write a book about the adventures of losing my nose to melanoma.

I have thought long and hard about starting.  And every time I do, I just don't feel ready.  The story hasn't felt finished.  (With cancer, it never is completely over.)

Over the course of my life, I've created three novels, numerous essays and articles, with a few works published.  In recent years, I have endeavored to let go of writing and considered myself a "recovering" novelist.

But the world has changed.  Enter blogging and social media, and even as I write this, I suddenly understand that the bazillion posts I've made on Facebook have meant I've kept up my writing after all - in a less than lofty forum, true.  But writing is writing, and readers are readers.

As for my cancer experience, perhaps the hardest part of my journey was that I had no one else who had been through this particular trauma.  I had great support from other cancer survivors (and of course, from family and friends), but no one else had the experience of losing their face - the thing most linked to our identity.  Knowing there are others out there somewhere who have also lost noses, eyes and ears to melanoma - not to mention all those who have lost breasts and other body parts to other cancers - I think I must take a stab at the monumental task of writing a book, if for no other reason than to connect with others who are walking this path.

Why am I telling you this?  Well, you know how smokers need to tell someone they are quitting and dieters go to Weight Watchers for the weigh-in?  Accountability can be a great motivator.  I am now accountable to all of you to keep this going and I hope that will push me along.

But I am so rusty at the long form after years away from it, I think it will help to begin by priming the pump with blogs and tweets. Someday - not promising when - perhaps I'll have filled the well enough to offer you all a drink.  

Fingers crossed, please.