Precious

Photo by Roman Derrick Okello on Unsplash

Words. How I treasure the way they connect to create meaning. Each one is so dependent on another. Authors braid them into narratives that turn into books that I can purchase at my favorite book store, Bank Square Books in Mystic. But, here is the thing; that author is already back at her loom, weaving new words into a new tome. What seems infinitely precious in the metallurgy stage, is plated gold by the time the book is out in the world. What I am trying to say is that if writers hold their writing too closely, if they’re afraid of its inherent fragility, then no one will have a chance to read it. There will be flaws. I’m human and full of flaws so I can’t expect an impentrable veneer. Besides, there would be suspicion.

This week has felt immensely freeing to send queries out to agents. I’m proud of my work, yet I hope my confidence does not blur the lines of my query letter. The release of my novel has been a gradual process. I could call these initial queries trial runs that let the book find its legs.

Have I been checking my email more frequently? Yep. But I made certain I had other projects boiling during this process. I have the distinct privilege of evaluating scholarship applications for my alma mater, the University of Colorado at Boulder. I appreciate the honest writing I’ve come across. It’s made me reflect on that damage that too much polishing may have on manuscripts if they erode passion for a project. Passion outdoes precious. Repeat that, passion outdoes precious.

I have a goal and those students have goals and absolute devotion to the thing in our hands.

Be discerning readers. There’s too much dishonest writing wrongly published because the writer didn’t trust their talent and thoughts and had to run it past Claude. Once a piece of writing is soiled by A I, it cannot be recovered. And Claude is so grateful to pass that piece of writing on to another tenous writer. The thought that might have been original at the outset is diluted and changed, anesthetized by unorginal predictive text. I include a statement in my query letter that my novel was not written with A I and I stand by that statement.

Next post, I will have a story about tomorrow’s Pitch and Publish session, and I’ll remind you of the importance of a writing community. Am I nervous? A bit. Excited? Absolutely, I can’t wait to talk about my book.