It’s not for fame and fortune. It’s not even for the thrill of saying “yes” when my mother-in-law asks for the trillionth time if I ever got that book published. The real reason I yearn to be published is because it will make it easier for me to keep the faith.
This month’s RWR features an article by published author Victoria Alexander called “I’m Doomed: Confessions of the (Choke) Writing Process.” In it, Alexander talks about the self-doubt that affects even published authors. She speculates that “Maybe it is part of the process, part of the suffering for art…” This is, paradoxically, a very comforting thought. And it’s nice to know that even published writers experience some of the angst I felt last weekend.
Still, as I read the article, I couldn’t help thinking that because she’s published, it’s easier for Alexander to keep the faith when self-doubt comes to call. All she has to do is look at her bookshelf to remember that someone besides her CP thinks she’s brilliant.
Keeping the faith is the real reason I yearn to be published. I need that publication like a born-again Christian needs her bible; because it’s easier to keep faith when you can hold the proof in your hands.