Perspective is a luxury after the fact. In the moment can seem forever.
At the beginning of the year this blog, ostensibly on my publishing quest didn’t exist. Efforts entailing my manuscript Home Cookin’- The Stories Behind The Food were suspended in amber. It was my first client/now friend Melissa who suggested that stories are more like evergreens- and like good songs, have no expiration date.
She encouraged me to start a weekly blog as a way to document my path to publishing. She also said the bots like two things- at least 500 words and consistency, so 500 Words was born. Since committing to resurrecting the manuscript many new routines have been tried but few have stuck the landing.
Eight months on, the fact that I’m doing an author’s event this week is one such landing. Each author is allotted five minutes (831 words to be exact ) with a question and answer period following, so we had a zoom call rehearsal to work it all out.
I’ll be reading from a new story, one I believe to be the most powerful of the 20 others I’ve written. But how I feel and how it’s received are often different things. It’s that way in a recording studio or a restaurant and is the same in writing.
You write your first draft in a vacuum with the doors closed, then edit and edit again (and again). It’s only then that you “may” be ready to open that door, share your work and get some feedback.
Which brings me to this event.
I’ve had 50+ works published but have never read any to an audience. Never seen a reaction in real time or been questioned as opposed to commented upon, liked or shared. It will be interesting to see a response, to see if what I’ve been working on all these years resonates with an audience or not.
Is it engaging? Are people listening or playing on their phones? What type of questions (if any) will be asked? Have I done enough research to speak on the subject with authority or are there weak spots that need more attention?
When playing music or writing profiles or menus, unless a client is paying I create for myself. If appreciated by others that’s just gravy and fortunately my sauceboat overflows.
It’s hard to see a long journey from day to day.
So in hindsight even with miles to go I’ve come a long
way.
Many things become interconnected by happenstance. You get introduced to someone that introduces you to someone else
which in turn leads down this other path and grows organically.
It’s easier to see progress looking back by how far you’ve come instead of need to go.
Am I closer to publishing? Anything is better than what I was doing which was nothing, so yes. Are there tons of things to work out? Yup. Are my efforts wasted? Not at all. You never lose when you invest in yourself. Will it work? Not a clue. Moving forward is key even in little steps. Showing up. Not listening to people that haven’t done it before and don’t know how far we’ve traveled.
So in hindsight even with miles to go I’ve come a long
way.
So in hindsight even with miles to go I’ve come a long
way.
So in hindsight even with miles to go I’ve come a long
way.
So in hindsight even with miles to go I’ve come a long
way.
Alan Lake
Chef/percussionist/writer/
I wish I could be there!
As do I.
I look forward to finally meeting in person, Alan, and to hearing you read that compelling story that left me speechless.
That was just the intro but very kind of you. It’s Hacen’s story. I’m just asking the questions and giving a bit of background.