Friday, January 9, 2015

Feeling alright (with apologies to Joe Cocker)

First, let me suggest this piece on Lisa B's blog.  It sums up perfectly how I felt about my day yesterday.  When I looked up at the wall clock and realized I still had three hours left on my shift, I was stunned.  It felt like I'd already been there until next week.

Anyway.  In other news.

I've been thinking about that pile of completed manuscripts I haven't sold, and while I haven't totally given up hope, I've begun acknowledging to myself I may never sell them.  This acknowledgement would have DEVASTATED me a few years ago.  I would have felt like that person who mourns a misbegotten youth, which he/she can't even remember very clearly, because he/she was pretty much wasted for most of it.

But.

For some reason I'm feeling okay about things right now.  I'm glad I was able to spend time with my characters, even if no one else ever ends up meeting them.  I'm glad I was able to write about Aria quoting lines from "The Lady of Shalott" by a moon-filled window.  Or Opa telling Emi about his garden that survived the fire-bombing of Dresden.  Or Zuzu deciding to use "-ly" words when she writes just to piss off her English teacher.  Or Ozma pretending to faint.  Or Shelley wondering who left those roses on a grave.  Or Jo listening to the beating of swan wings, filling the sky like church bells ringing.

The manuscripts themselves might be far from perfect.   But each of them has a perfect moment.

At least for me.

6 comments:

Lisa B. said...

I want those mss to be published, even if it's selfish of me, because the moments you describe there sound like they're worth reading a book for. I hope at least some of them come to light.

But I do know what you mean about the perfect moment, for you. I get that, entirely.

Lisa B. said...

(p.s. thanks for linking!)

Louise Plummer said...

I like this so much.

Angela Sandberg said...

Mmmm, cozy moments.

Emily said...

"The manuscripts themselves might be far from perfect. But each of them has a perfect moment."

THIS!!

James said...

First off, I am glad you are at peace with your writing, but its not really about you, is it. (Smiley-face emoticon). Its about us readers. Hornby is just publishing a new book after 5 years. Take a break and then publish those books, and some new stuff too. We need perfect moments.

We need perfect moments.