Patience…it is a virtue.
I have never really been a patient person. It is a bad trait, impatience, but it has always been a part of my personality. And the process of publishing certainly has not helped me with my not-so-great trait.
I thought writing the book was a challenge but it really did not involve much impatience. I enjoyed getting to know the characters as I wrote and I was surprised whenever my story took a turn or my characters did something I had not expected. I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book. Like the first, I’ll have an idea of what I expect is going to happen but as I write, the characters will generally have their way with me (or my fingers, anyway) and will therefore determine their own fate.
Of course, the next phase is publishing. What category does publishing fall under? I would not call it fun, even though the whole concept of having a book in print is certainly exciting. It is also not entirely work when others are completing many of the necessary tasks. I guess it is more in the category of business. Once it is time to publish, you have to consider marketing and sales. You have to objectively consider the name of the book, the cover image and anything else the potential reader will use to judge the book. You then hope the marketing pays off and the sales reflect your efforts.
But with the publishing process comes the feelings of impatience. After all the time writing, researching, reading, editing, fearing, hoping, and praying, this period of the process is an odd place to be. I feel in limbo. I imagine it is how I would feel if I were a sprinter in the Olympics. I know I shouldn’t compare a turtle to a cheetah but I’m thinking more about what it must be like for the athletes to spend years in preparation for one of the biggest moments in their lives. Now, imagine after years of hard work and dedication, you are finally a part of that moment. You stand in the lane you have been assigned; you bend down, plant your shoes and hands in their place and hold your position, ready for the beginning of the race. The pivotal moment is the time you wait, crouched and ready to sprint ahead towards the finish line where all your hard work will finally show results. You believe in yourself, knowing what you have done to get to this point and you stay focused so as not to give your competitors any gain over you. And you wait. The seconds feel eternal…
Until finally you are free to run, to race ahead towards the finish line, to finally show to yourself and to others what your hard work has accomplished. As long as you don’t falter while you wait during those seemingly long, excruciating moments as you tense up for the race to begin, everything will fall into place. This takes focus. But it also takes patience. The finish line is the goal. What it takes to get there is the key.
