Done Again

Thursday night I sent the "finished" manuscript to JT and the WMVR.

Is this a burden lifted? Almost. Knowing that I've edited the story enough that it's in a fairly readable state is a step in the right direction. I think there are probably still holes to fill ... things I didn't catch as I was reading through it, changes I made that might not have carried through from beginning to end. We'll see. I have an initial reaction from the WMVR. After the first chapter, she called me and told me I was a sick puppy. I took that as a compliment. ;)

I'm glad I have these two. I value their opinions so much, mostly because I know they want me to succeed. They're not the only ones, of course, but they're the two who have their fingers on my pulse, so to speak. They're the ones who will be absolutely frank about whether what I've written works, and because they're judging it from two different perspectives - one from the market and one from the target audience - they're the ones I have to "sell" it to first. They're also the ones who know me best, know how I work, encourage me along the way when I get down on myself and lose my enthusiasm, the ones who kick me in the tail and motivate me to keep plugging away, keep working, keep writing when it's the last thing I want to do. So thank you, ladies, for ... well, everything.

I told them to take their time with it, mainly because I have a laundry list of things that need my attention, most of which I have been putting off until I got the manuscript finished. Do you other writers do that? Do you not do anything else until you complete that manuscript? I was talking the other day about being able to multitask, and I'm not recanting what I said, but when I'm working on a book and get so close to the end point, I have a tendency to let everything else slide for a while until it's finished. Well, now it's finished, and I have to start working my way down the list again. The good news is that over the past couple of days I actually have marked off a few things. Yay, me.

Now that we're in that holding pattern, though, I find myself sort of pacing the virtual waiting room. There's a lot of emotion going on here - nervous anticipation, insecurity, anxiety ... and fear. Fear of failure - or fear of success. I have finally admitted to having a bit of both. Will they love it or will they think it sucks? Either way, I know they'll be honest with me, but it's the not knowing, the waiting, and then ... the next step. Whatever it is I have to do after they send it back to me, whether it's edit more or get ready to submit, the whole process of pacing is my chance to get my act together so that whatever that next step is, I'll be ready for it.

Two Days. One of the things I have to do while I wait is get emotionally prepared for sending The Tall One off to college. She's excited and ready to go. And I'm pretty sure I'm ready to let her. I'm a little worried about her father, though - he's been on vacation the last week and hasn't been involved in the "final preparations". When he gets home this morning it will be to find that she's cleaned her room and packed already. It might freak him out a little, even though I did warn him that it was done. Then he gets two days with her - on one of which he has to work - and then she's off. I know you're thinking I'm being a little dramatic here. But she's Daddy's Girl, always has been, and I know it's going to be hard on him. So I'd just ask that you all send some good vibes his way, some virtual pats on the back and a couple of "it's going to be all right"'s, and I'll share them with him. For those of you who have already sent me notes of encouragement, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Enjoy your Sunday. Read a book. Hug somebody you love. It's all good for you.

=) JB