I love my job…but there are days when I dread it too. The
worst part about being an author is the beginning. Yes, the start—the first
sentence—the prelude to what I’m hoping is a great story.
The plotting and sub plotting are an emotional upheaval as
well, and are a large part of the creation process. An idea doesn’t just pop
into my head. It mulls and saunters in and out, leaving small fragments of
details to a story that will somehow—someway weave together to create a warm
blanket of words. One that I hope will keep my reader cozy for a few evenings.
Then there are the questions.
I've sat up many nights consoled by the clinking of the bottle as I pour myself a whiskey
and contemplate the story over in my head. Will the miniscule idea that I’ve
pondered for weeks transform itself into a page-turning novel? Will the words
flow from my imagination onto the page, typed in a way that will leave my
reader breathless? Will the insistent
pounding of the keyboard entice action, adventure, suspense, and love scenes
that intertwine to become a work of art?
Oh, the horror of it all!!!
AND you cannot forget the most
important questions…why would anyone read my novel? What makes it different
from any other story out there?
That last one is the sinker. It’s the reason I'm up all hours into the night, why my brain is on overload and I only hear bits and pieces of conversations around me. Where some days I think I'm clinically insane. I wonder if the story in my head will ever flush it's way out and when it does will I be myself again?
No one ever said writing was easy. In fact, it’s damn hard.
It isn’t all 5 star reviews and publishing contracts up the wazoo. There is no
entitlement when it comes to this job. You have to work for every bit of
success you want.
There are deadlines, revisions, edits, edits, edits and
marketing (I'll discuss those on another day)…after all that’s done you’ll find yourself staring at a blank page,
with a glimmer of an idea and a bottle close by.
Cheers,
Kat
Yes, yes, yes, it is no easy feat at all. You should be proud of the success you've achieved to date; most writers won't even make it this far. To write novels is certainly a beautiful insanity. Then again, when one writes a novel that really works, and the whiff of a bestseller rises into the air, she may know a joy that few can ever experience. Keep up the great work, Kat!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jess! You understand what I'm talking about. Writer's are born different...we all have a bit of crazy in us. :)
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