Writing vs. Publishing
I’ve only ever participated in one official run, a 10k fundraiser. I trained and raised money, and was excited—until I got to the starting line and was overwhelmed with the people and the noise. I’d been running on my own so to be surrounded by hordes of others was a lot. Still, I was conscious not to go out too hard or too fast, even as a part of me wanted to keep up with the rest. I got into my groove and did my own thing.
Until I was run over.
The fundraiser was a run/walk/bike event. One cyclist, a kid not watching where he was going, slammed into me. He shrieked an apology as he kept biking, and dammit, I was so close to finishing, I picked myself up and kept running.
But this story isn’t about perseverance, though I had that. This story was how much I ended up not liking the “official” run. Battered and bruised—literally—I was relieved when it was over. I’ve never done it again.
But I still run. I run for myself. Some days I like it, some days I don’t. And this is the analogy about writing that I’ve comes to live by. For me, the publishing world is like that “official” run; noisy and crowded—and dangerous! But the writing world is about what I like to do: write. Some days I like it, some days I don’t. But ultimately, it’s all for me.