ARE WE THERE YET?

This is a question I have been asking myself for months, as I maneuver the treacherous ins and outs of writing a complex third installment in my fantasy book series. I’ve run the gamut of feelings about this book: excitement, frustration, bewilderment, fear, and even hate. Yes, there are days when I hate my project. I hate it because it is taking all of me to write it. I hate it because it encompasses my every thought, be it day or night. I hate it because it’s forcing me to ask questions of myself that I’m not ready to face. Most of all, I hate it because...I think it’s good.

When all is said and done, I think this book is me in a nutshell. It is all of my fears and ideas about myself and my fellow man. It is every sorrow and pain and bit of confusion that I’ve experienced off the page. It is also all of my joy. In truth, I feel that this book has challenged me in ways I never expected. It has challenged me, fought me, and won. It will exist, whether I’m ready for it or not. That is why I continue to write this book every day, despite all my protestations and misgivings. I know this book will be a strong installment to this collection of tales. It is a story that must be told, whether I’m brave enough or not.

Hate is a very strong word. But I feel that if we run into such emotions regarding our work, it is a natural and necessary part of the writing journey. Why is it necessary? If we loved everything we ever wrote, we would never be challenged and thus grow. Yes, perhaps it is taking too long to write. Perhaps you’ve been through three, ten, or even twenty drafts of this thing that seems to grow exponentially each time you revise it. Perhaps you doubt yourself and your abilities to tell this story well. Good! Then, believe or not, the writing is going well.

Writing does not come without a healthy dose of suffering, mixed in with a little humility and a lot of strength. You write to grow. You write to discover not just words, but yourself. Yes, it may take much longer than expected to finish your story. It may not look anything like you first imagined it to be. But it exists. It exists in its truest form, raw and ready to reach the hearts of others.

Are we there yet? Maybe not, but with any luck, we will be.

Keshia C. Willi