Here we are: Spooky Season is upon us!
I can’t wait to celebrate Samhain this year, during our delayed super fun honeymoon! Yay!
And, I don’t know about you, but for my part I really need to enjoy some time away from home. I mean, let’s be honest a minute; it’s been rough since the first lockdown. My husband and I were able to enjoy our time together, stress-free.
Everything quiet.
Quiet.
I miss quiet.
I miss being able to work in our beautiful garden, without hearing anything but neighbor kids laughing, and baby birds chirping, and our tea kettle whistling.
No cars, no planes, no trucks. Just happiness.
Besides, it’s been a long year, filled with disappointment.
See, I have failed.
My debut novel won’t be published by a publishing company as I’ve always dreamt, and I took those rejection letters really hard.
I mean, who wouldn’t?
And then, after long weeks of sorry and despair (yes, I’m a bit dramatic) I realized something. Maybe those rejection letters were not a sign of failure.
No; maybe they were the sign I actually needed to embrace my freedom.
Free to publish the novel whenever I want.
Free to choose the book cover, the marketing strategy, even the translations!
Free to enjoy the beginning of my literary career without any restraint.
Wow.
For the first time in many months, I feel hopeful. Strong. Powerful. The whole process is under my control; and, sure there’s a lot to worry about —What if I do something wrong? What if I choose the wrong font?, etc– but I try and focus on the positive.
I don’t rely on anybody, I don’t report to anybody.
I am an independant fiction writer.
Therefore, sure, those letters were hard to read –even though they were quite nice, to be honest– and maybe even harder to talk about, but they were a blessing in disguise, and that’s exactly what a failure is.
A blessing in disguise.
Very Halloweeny, don’t you think?
Looking forward to reading you,
Credits:
Cover picture by Timothy Dykes via Unsplash
