Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Voices in the void

I'm stressed. That's probably putting it mildly. I have extensive edits to do to a Vivien Dean short story, we received the print galleys for Craving Kismet to get done, as well as the galleys for both our Amber Quill titles releasing this weekend. Pepper and I have an agreement right now that I'm taking the bulk of the editing work right now because of her need to focus on school, but all this added up with other stuff I had to get - and the fact that my Mondays are killers for other reasons, too - meant I was exhausted when I finally crashed last night.

I think today is going to be better.

Why? It's a silly reason, actually. Two years ago, I wrote a short little piece for Pepper as a thank you gift that I posted on a different journal. It's a fandom/personal thing, so I try and keep it separate. But somebody recently recommended it, and then someone else who doesn't know me from Adam read it this morning, and left me extensive, really wonderful feedback on it. Let me tell you a secret right now. Writers might write because they love to tell stories, but there is very little to compare from hearing from readers who totally get what you're trying to do. I'm not talking about reviews, because those are really nice and all but we know that a lot of them don't really say much in the long run. I'm talking about personal responses from readers who were touched by what I wrote.

They're that reminder that we're not talking into a void. That someone out there loves or hates these characters as much as we do. Part of the joy in telling a story is in sharing it, not just the creation.

So today, I'm feeling energized. One galley is done. Another is half-done. Pepper and I are three chapters away from finishing May's Calendar Boy story, and I don't have a car today to distract myself with errands. Today, I feel like I can take on the world.

And all because of a lone voice in the void who said, "Job well done."

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I hope things ease up for you soon. No point in stretching yourself thin.

-Maggie