Bits for Sunday, October 11, 2009

I have successfully mixed up my days and nights once again! I took a nap this afternoon, woke up about 5:30, and discovered two hours later that the clock in my living room is off by an hour.

With any luck, I’ll make it to bed before it’s time to get up, and I actually will get up somewhat on time.

My Sunday night lineup of shows just hit the airwaves, so perhaps that will help me keep my mind on the correct time. Of course I’m knee deep in editing, so who knows if I’ll even pay attention to said shows?

Earlier this week, I posted something about my latest writing adventure, so this may be somewhat of a repeat for a few of you, but I wanted to share anyway.

I’ve said before that getting published (at least in the history of Bekahland) seems to be about as likely as winning American Idol. It is a tough, long, obstacle-filled road, and I’m not particularly known for patience and strength.

So I’m moving ahead in a different avenue right now. I’m looking into the possibility of self-publishing, which is something that quite frankly scares me to death. How is it that the very things I dream about can be so terrifying all at the same time? I’m not alone in that, I’m sure. Your dream may not be to write, but you surely have a dream. And if you’re honest, something about that dream scares you.

But why not pursue it anyway?

I’m cautious by nature. I would prefer to know the outcome of any given situation before diving into it. The very thought of taking a risk makes me want to throw up. And given that throwing up is about last on my list of things to do…well, you get the idea.

Even so, why not now?

If I think about it long enough and hard enough, I will rationalize my way right out of it. If you don’t believe me, ask me sometime how strawberry bubble gum doubles as a serving of fruit and a coffee bean is definitely a vegetable. Rationalizing is a gift of mine, and while it can sometimes come in very handy, it can also keep me from running after some of my dreams. Okay…any of my dreams.

And so, I move forward with it. I’m praying hard about it, watching in my ever-cautious way to see if God throws out any major stop signs. But while I watch…I go ahead with the work. I crawl through the manuscript, page by page, looking for errors. Looking for ways to improve a sentence. Wondering what people will think when they read the words. Wondering if I said things the way I should have. Wondering how exciting it will be to have the project completed.

You are now up-to-date on the latest in Bekahland. I’ll keep you updated on the progress! And in the meantime, thanks for hanging in there with me each week. I really appreciate your emails and comments. You are an encouraging bunch!