Friday, April 6, 2012

Last night, as I handed off my manuscript to one of my beta readers, I nervously prattled on:


  • "Thanks for doing this."
  • "I hope this isn't tedious."
  • "I hope it's at least somewhat enjoyable."
  • "I hope you don't hate it."
  • "Thanks again."
I might have said some other things.  You'd have thought I was embarrassed by my writing; that I didn't expect others to enjoy it.  But the truth is, this is the scary part.  Sending my baby out into the world and hoping she does okay.  Can she stand up for herself?

While I was writing, I didn't have these insecurities.  It isn't that I was totally confident in everything I typed, just that I wasn't worried about it:  I concentrated on the story and the characters.  I tried to make the language as sharp as possible.  

Here's my baby!
During the next few weeks, as my beta readers critique the 287 pages I've been working on for the last year and a half (geez, that's less than a page a day!) I should start my next project.  Do what calms me most: concentrate on characters and story.

4 comments:

george rede said...

Been a long, tedious road, hasn't it? I've enjoyed following the process.

Sending you a virtual fist-bump, high-five and head-butt, all rolled into one, to celebrate your milestone.

Look forward to the day when I can read it, too.

Tonja said...

You're baby is going to do great! :)

CincySarah said...

Wow! So excited that your baby is out in the world. I definitely enjoyed the chapters I was able to read/hear in WW class, so I have a good feeling! Way to go. :)

August said...

Thanks for the kind words, everyone. I can't wait to see what comes next in this process, whether it's publication or a great experience to build on :)