In life, there are major celebratory milestones. The day you
got engaged, married, realized you were expecting a child, the day your
child was born, and more.
Anyone can recognize these, and everyone you share it with
gets it. These are monumental moments.
Then, there are the mini monuments. These are just as meaningful,
but in a private way. The day you first realized you were in love with a pimply
classmate, the day you first got your period, or the day your child told you
they loved you more than ice-cream. Even if shared, these moments would not
feel monumental to most others.
It is the same for the writing journey.
The big milestones everyone recognizes—
*The day you get a reputable literary agent (Been there 😊)
*The day your manuscript goes to acquisitions (Been there 😅)
* The day you have a traditional paying offer to publication
(Been there 😲)
*The day your book comes out (Been there 😀)
*The day you get your first unsolicited good review (Been
there 😄)
*The day you get the first advance check (Been there 😉)
*The day one of your books hits the best sellers list (Never been there and can’t manage to imagine 😜)
And then, there are the mini-milestones, ones that only
another writer can understand. They are also grand, but only a
few could possibly “get it”—
*The day you finish a first draft to a novel 🙌
*The day you manage to fix a serious plot hole that seemed fatal only a day earlier 👍
*The day you overcame a state of ennui as you drafted, because you realized what the story is really about 👈
*Any of the days you managed to pen a nifty (though dreaded)
synopsis of your work 😇
Been there, to all the mini milestones above, many times. It
never gets old.
All of the above are felt deeply, but the celebration goes
on with you and only your writing friends, if you choose to share.
6 comments:
I always appreciate getting to celebrate with you both your major and mini milestones, so please don't hesitate to share with me.
The biggies happen once in a while, but I love celebrating the little milestones too. My critique partner always sends me a text when her story just pours out of her and she's banging out 8-10 pages in a day. So fun! Today, I scribbled 4 pages of ideas I want to explore...
clinking glasses with you, Vijaya :)
I can relate to that momentous moment when you finally figure out what your story is about (after writing for weeks/months) and every once in a while, when you write a sentence, re-read it, then shake your head - "did I really write that?" Cheers!
So true, so true.
Love those mini milestones! Among mine are these special moments:
- Getting nice reviews from readers on social media.
- When my husband was watching an episode of NCIS on tv with me, there was a scene with a mouse on a ship. He quoted this line from my novel's manuscript:
"There are no mice on my ship!"
- An expert to whom I had sent my manuscript for review not only sent me comments, but also quotable blurbs and the information that Kentucky librraians to whom she had raved were eager to carry it.
Post a Comment