018—I’m Not Done (Maybe I’m Scared)

It’s been a year since I’ve written a blog post. And it took one comment to bring me back.

Let’s set the scene as it’s been a while since we’ve spent time together: I completed the manuscript for Shadow Puppet in May or June of 2024 before popping it in the creative oven for a month or two in order for it to come to temperature. In other words, so it feels hot, fresh, and new again before reading it.

Now, imagine finding time to “grade” a seventy-eight-thousand-word story while life takes its toll…while working to pay bills for a house that needs constant cleaning so I can desperately find the peace needed to enjoy the people around me as much as possible. Sound familiar? I know it does.

The first edit took around eight months, but it’s finally done. The second edit is going much faster. Yet formatting still needs to completed, then beta copies and feedback before final revisions, a synopsis, querying, and eventual publishing—whether traditional or indie.

And let’s face it. I already published a book. Right?

So I’m sitting down last night…after work, after heading out with the family for the night…my new novel nowhere near my thoughts because “I’ll finish it one day,” when I see a notification on my phone:

An e-mail that someone had commented on Blog 008-The Company We Keep: “Helloo mate great blog”

One quick, kind comment, but it made me remember that I’ve put thoughts and words out into the world, available for anyone to read at any point. I’ve written a novel that resonated with people, and while I don’t anticipate a ton of traffic landing here, the fact of the matter remains: it’s here for people to read. And after taking a trip to Barnes and Noble last night, seeing novels from people I’ve seen on socials, it made me realize:

I’m not done. I have more to write.

Maybe I’m worried I’ll feel guilty. Maybe I feel like potentially having a handful of people read a blog, or a few handfuls read a novel to average reviews won’t be worth leaving something to be done by somebody else. Maybe I’m scared I’ll realize it’s not worth it. Maybe it’s none of those things.

Yet someone perused a year-old blog post and left a compliment yesterday. And formatting my blog numbers as 001…002…003 was done for a very particular reason. To remind myself to keep going.

Here’s my lesson, my thought, my parting gift:

Lean in. Let yourself go. Be vulnerable to it. It was worth it, it is worth it, and it will be worth it.

A very special thank you to Sean Short for the comment, who has a great blog going himself. His work can be seen here.