THE POST PUBLISHING DRAG

This is not my first rodeo getting published as a writer. For years (twenty, to be exact), I had a self-syndicated column on single parenting that appeared in over a dozen regional magazines across the country. I wrote a non-fiction book in 1997 about single parenting that was published by a medium-sized press in Minneapolis (Solo Parenting: Raising Strong & Happy Families). I know what it takes to get something down on paper and then edited to the point that it is ready for publication. For my first book-length work, I had a paid editor who thankfully made all the changes for me. For this novel project, however, I thought I was just doing it for my own therapy and didn't really care to get a big-time publisher. I could do it on my own. I think I remember my mother saying I was a stubborn two-year-old (and some things never change). So, "ME DO IT!" is how I felt and now I am seeing the difficulties in that decision. First of all, I will never edit my own work again. I read Already There about five times after it was printed until I couldn't read one more word. Alright already, I'm Already Done! Even so, I have readers now telling me about minor mistakes, grammatical errors, misused words, awkward sentence structure, etc. UGGHH! Okay, okay. I just wanted to do it myself. But now that I am diligently working on my next project, I am more aware of the importance of letting others be in on the fun before I put it out to press. Don't get me wrong. I am very proud of my first attempt at fiction writing, and I will probably come out with a second edition with all those pesky errors fixed because I am a perfectionist at heart. But it's kind of like birthing a child. It's hard, it's not perfect, and it's a little demoralizing. But seeing your child grow and the heart that beats within her is still very satisfying. Pregnant with my second "child," I look forward to doing it a little better and in a less painful way!