Fans of Dr. Seuss know very well the infamous Waiting Place described in his classic children’s book, Oh, the Places You’ll Go. It’s the state of mind we all get stuck in at some point in our lives—a time of “in between,” where we think we want to move in one direction, but we’re not sure, so we wait for something to happen, or for things to stop happening, before we move. For me, the elusive goal has been fiction writing. For years I worked in marketing and wrote in many forms, none of which could be considered “literary” by any stretch. Oh, I dabbled a bit, but an insistent voice inside me said, “You’ve got to work and earn a living, don’t you? So you can’t write that romance novel.” Then came marriage and kids: “Well of course, family comes first so you can’t take time out to write while the boys are so young.” Then it was, “Oh, are you sure you want to write something that won’t be up for a Pulitzer Prize?” and “Writing a romance might be tricky with teenage boys in the house. Besides, they’re a handful—no time to write now.” The list of excuses was long, and meanwhile the clock was ticking. Tick, tick, tick. Twenties. Tick, tick, tick. Thirties. Tick, tick, tick … you get the picture.
But guess what? That little voice inside of me finally said, “It’s time.” So for the past several months I’ve done what I always wanted to do. I’ve written a novel.
The Art of Love, which just went live on Amazon, is the first of many books in my head that I want to get down on paper and share with readers. I’m very proud of it because it’s a good story, told well. I worked hard and I have something to show for it. What a wonderful feeling!
It’s not in my nature to dwell on past decisions. I rarely waste time ruminating over notions like, “Why the heck didn’t you do this ten years earlier?” I figure there was a reason, even if I don’t know what it was. But here’s what I do think about: how glad I am that I finally decided to leave that oh so comfortable Waiting Place.
Don’t know where I’m headed precisely. I’m just thrilled to be moving forward.
