Am I Ready?

I just watched Under the Tuscan Sun. This is one of many movies and stories that make the writing life romantic.  Even, in this case, in the midst of writers block.  Movies like As Good As It Gets, and stories like Anne of Green Gables and Little Women contribute to the romanization of becoming a published author.  Even Misery, despite the terrorization of the author, makes being an author romantic.

That's what I'd dreamed of.  Not, of course, being so infatuated by a fan that they kidnap me and hobble me so that I have to continue writing about their favorite character.  But finding a story, writing it and have it picked up by a publisher, and then receiving my box of hardback copies of my very first book.

But becoming a published author is not romantic.  It's hard work.  It's grunt work.  It's self-promotion and being a salesperson.

I'm not afraid of hard work.  And I have no problem doing grunt work.  But self-promotion, I'm not so sure about.  Even doing this blog seems self-indulgent.

How do you move from the dream of the romance to reality of selling yourself, or at least a part of yourself?

How do you convince yourself that the romance will never happen without the steps in between?

How do you work out the fear of rejection or worse the fear that what you've created really isn't that good at all?

And do you really want more than just the idea of the romance?  Maybe the dream is enough?

I hope not.

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