Letting it Go
Well it’s off now into the world.
Yesterday afternoon, I snail mailed my Short Story Contest entry. I actually raced around to different postal outlets to make sure it went out before the weekend had begun. I couldn’t bear to hang on to it any longer.
It definitely was a weird and wonderful, frustrating and challenging experience these past two months. The strangest thing too is that what actually was enveloped and sent off was nothing like the first version draft I came up with.
In fact, three major edits (courtesy of my beloved husband) and six different versions later, I ended up with 2,252 words (just shy of the 2,500 word limit) and a much tighter hopefully more poignant piece.
Being a writer is a glorious experience when everything falls neatly into place and what you’ve created is literary Gold. But how often does that actually happen to any of us?
It’s all about the journey, the struggle, the rewrites, the edits, the late nights, the shots of amaretto before bed so you can find your sleep. It’s about words and characters and episodes swirling around your mind, cluttering up your brain until they are all neatly organized down on paper.
And when all is said and done and counted, it’s about releasing that creation out into the world. For good or bad, it has it’s own journey to tackle now.
I have to let go now and let it be: an act of both Anguish and Relief.
And so there you go. I’m done. Now for putting it out of my mind and getting back to … the novel.
Oh yeah and cheering on Canada in tomorrow’s Gold Medal Olympic Hockey game!
Go Canada Go!
Cheers!
peekiequeen c. Saturday, Feb. 22, 2014
Congratulations! You have done a wonderful thing. I’m so happy for you to have finished, edited, polished and mailed off your short story contest entry! Way to go! 🙂 This writing life is a journey for sure, and I’m so glad that you finished your story and mailed it out into the world.
Thanks so much for those kind words. I sincerely appreciate the wonderful support this community offers in friends like you . It’s so comforting to know there are others who appreciate the struggles and challenges writing brings. It’s makes sharing small victories together all the more valued. Cheers!
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