It all begins with an idea. It can hit us in the shower, driving on the freeway, or observing strangers in a store. A few hours later we find ourselves still thinking about it and finally admit, “There is something there.”
A day, or week, a month or years later we begin the journey of making this idea into a story. We create characters that never existed before and places that have never been built. But in our minds they are as real as those sitting across from us at the dinner table.
When we finally feel our story has substance, we share it with a few close friends and hope they love it as much as we do. This is when the real work begins. We wait, hoping the reaction will confirm that we are indeed authors. Those first reviews are as stressful as they are mixed – Why is it that our dearest friends feel the need to point out all the spelling errors, missing punctuation, and font size before they tell us what they think of the story?
We forgive them for being insensitive, take their advise and begin to rework our story as more time passes. We have a few more people read it and once again, wait for the reviews. Eventually we finish the rewrites and proudly admit, “Its done…well maybe…I hope so…I don’t want to write ever again…I’ll read it one more time…”
When we finally write the last line, we have completed an enormous task, one that few will ever accomplish. As we look back over the process we remember the pain, the late nights, the frustration. We also remember who we were when this all started and who we’ve become because we stuck with it. THAT is why we should publish our work, that is why we should not be satisfied with it living in our computers or in a notebook. Publishing your work is the evidence of an idea, the measurement of your commitment, the proof of your existence.
A book is the physical manifestation of an idea!