This morning I met up with a friend who I haven’t seen for quite a while. It was wonderful to see her looking so well, and we enjoyed sharing our recent life adventures. We both have gone through some big transformations in recent years, and even if the mirror sometimes disagrees a little, we still feel young and vital.
I shared the latest news about my publishing conquest, and was heartened by her response and warm enthusiasm. Although writing about my experience in these blogs casually documents how this is all playing out, talking about it actually causes skin-crawling nerves to surface. It feels like I’m climbing up a steep cliff, each day moving things a little higher from the safety of the ground.
“When can I read your book?” my friend asked.
“Possibly in another few months,” I answered.
That’s what – 90 days or so? Yikes!
THE FEARSOME “WHAT IFS”
What if readers don’t like my story? What if no one but my friends and family buy copies? What if someone I know thinks I was writing about them, or about me? What if it gets panned? What if it generates nothing but cricket sounds? What if, what if, what if …?
How exciting, to have this fear. Fear is a friend that keeps the blood pumping. Working through fear brings us to new places, to new people, to new experiences. Fear leads to the richness of life. After all, how dull would life be if we never faced fear — if we just stood still in the safety of our comfort zone?
NO SAFETY NET
If there is a safety net to keep me off the rocks for this particular adventure, I haven’t found it. All I can do is keep plugging along and trust that publishing “I Knew Men” will be a good thing. If nothing else, I pray that this pursuit will teach me what I need to learn for my next writing adventure.
The sequel, “I Knew Men More,” is right over there, at the base of the next big cliff, waiting for the editing process to resume when the current adventure winds down.
So exciting … and scary!