Time to Take Action

I was skimming through a magazine recently and came across their "Weekly Horoscope" column. One listing in particular caught my eye. It doesn't matter exactly when I read it, for this isn't about astrology or seeking guidance from the stars. Nor does it matter which sign--Cancer, Leo, Virgo, or Pisces--because the advice given could just as easily apply to us all. Here's what the "oracle" said:

"You can study, be coached, and be encouraged, but at some point, you just have to take action. Release the need to get it right or do it perfectly the first time around. If you're not risking rejection or failure, you're not fully living."

There comes a time for every artist, regardless of medium, when they need to haul their creation out of the dusty workshop and into the light of day. Just get it out there. For a painter or sculptor, that might mean showing a few pieces at a local gallery. For a writer, it's time to submit!

Hear those howls? The submission process can be a scary thing for many writers. How do we know the story's ready, we ask ourselves, stomachs churning. The answer doesn't seem quite as straightforward for us as it might be for other artists. After all, one last tap and the sculpture is done. Not so, with a novel or memoir.

Words are different. Words are nebulous things. So fearing our words still aren't quite right, we continue to futz with our manuscripts--sometimes endlessly.

We delete a couple of words here, insert a clever little phrase over there. All the while, we're promising ourselves that as soon as we've finished this one tiny adjustment, we'll send the whole thing off to the publisher. Tomorrow, always tomorrow. Just one last little thing!

The only problem is we can never just insert that one clever little phrase and have done with it. One revision always leads to another when we're futzing, but none of them ever seem to bring us any closer to getting published.

Why? Because exchanging this word for that one, or changing this comma to a semicolon (and then back again), will make absolutely no difference to the publisher reading our work. Deep down inside, we all know that. Once in his hands, he'll either like our story or he won't. He'll offer to publish it or he won't. All the futzing in the world isn't going to get him to change his mind, but still we persist.

So, what's really holding us back from submitting our work? Why do we continually tie ourselves in knots trying to write the perfect story? Fear. Fear of rejection. Fear that not everyone in the world is going to love our work as much as we do. How unrealistic is that? Do you love every word that's ever been written in the course of human history? Of course not!

The truth is that you don't need every publisher in the world to love your work. You only need one. So what if the first publisher you try doesn't like your story, or the second, or even the third? It doesn't matter. You only need one! And that one could be out there waiting to hear from you right now.

So, stop futzing! It's time for action. Don't let your fears paralyze you; reach for your dream instead. Just Think Differently.

Karen Gilb