The Undiscovered Country

The Dreaded "What Ifs"

During the awards gala last night, a certain realization hit me.

What if . . .

The agent I pitched to not only wants to see my first three chapters, but asks for the full manuscript, and terror of all terrors, agrees to represent me.

You'd think I'd be excited. After all, isn't this one step closer to what I've been pursuing since I wrote my first novel back in 2001?

The problem with dreaming is it never take into consideration the work involved to not only make the dream come true, but what happens after.

In this case, while I wrote (and wrote. And wrote) the only expectations I had to meet were my own. Once an agent decides to represent me, I not only have to meet her expectations, but the expectations of whichever publisher decides to buy my manuscript, and my readers.

What if . . .

I fail to meet those expectations? And it's not only the quality of the story, but the quality of the writing, and everything I can (and need) to do to promote my book.

What if . . .

I have no more books in me left to write, or I can't write them in a timely manner?

And those are the big what ifs. There are many minor ones too, such as what if I don't get along with my editors, and/or my agent and I have irreconcilable differences.

Do I really want to take those chances? Am I unwilling to take the chance that any or all of those things happen?

How important is fulfilling my dream?

Is it even about me?

Or is it about my stories, and not me at all?

Truth is, I don't have a choice. When I set my "fleece before the Lord" about pursuing publication in 2010, he told me under no uncertain terms that I should. This is what he wants from me (and for me). To fear moving forward means I don't trust him enough to know that he's got this. I'm not saying that all of the above won't happen. It all still could. All that means is I would have to work harder, trust more, and at worst, start over. That's not going to kill me, and it won't kill my dream -- at least not if I don't let it.