The Long Road to Publishing

from the archives...12 February 2009

I have set my writing aside long enough. It's been back burner to everything else and while most of the 'everything else' hasn't changed or simply disappeared as one could hope, I just can't keep away long before I am itching for the computer, envisioning my books in print, and hording every brief moment to write another one; yet another set of characters who will sit along with many others in the vast files of computer memory until they're allowed out, edited a thousand times over and considered by me for sending out to agencies, publishers, my own little group of editing gurus.

All time crunches of life aside, things are beginning to move forward. I don't know that I've found any extra time to dedicate to my passions of writing, but I've found I am lost without doing something of the sort. So on to self publishing. And this time, no procrastinating.

The process has indeed begun.

My nerves are raw. My fingers restless to type. I have promised myself I won't go back to the manuscript in question until I see the first round of editing, returned for my perusal. That in itself has been difficult. I itch to read it again, make those small corrections, polish it until it shines though I've lost count of how many times I've done so already. But since it's been sent through to round one, leafing through pages at this point would be fruitless, so I force myself keep it on the back burner. I know the stressful days will come in a few weeks when I do have to sit down and weed through corrections and 'nice thoughts' from the editors with their suggestions.

I suppose the 'self' portion of the self publishing process takes a bit of pressure off. Essentially, I can choose to change only what I want to change, advice from editors or not. I am in control of the final product. But there is an enormous pressure in that alone. It's all up to me. And I know this is nothing compared to what could be and will be as I continue this journey.

I anticipate the process, have been looking ahead with excitement and even look forward to the advice and 'red penning' of the editing team. I have it all mapped out; from the day I receive the book in print to the sales beginning. But I fear it just won't happen the way I have it figured. In fact, I know it won't. You just can't plan those things. But however it happens, my positive side is sticking with optimism; my writer's side is feeling the burst of an ego coming because I know it is 'just that good'. The rest of me...well, I'm on edge, hoping it's good enough, hoping it makes the cut in the real world when my book finally leaves the security of my own imagination and moves into the wide world of editors, buyers and readers...

Meantime, I'll just have to write more...