Shareholders' Meeting

Usually, when I attempt to take on a task like this I like to keep it quiet. (You know, like a diet.) I wonder why that is. With a diet, I guess there is a certain level of shame attached. You are admitting that you have gain a significant number of pounds that warrant starving yourself back into some ideal outfit or swimsuit.

But why have I chosen in the past to keep my writing a secret? I guess it goes back to the fear of failure. I also dread those questions that usually follow after an announcement like this.

"How's the writing thing working out for you?"

"Get anything published, yet?"

"How long until I can buy one of your books at Borders or Barnes and Noble?"

These questions are usually asked by the ignorant. They don't understand that it is a process that can be wrought with rejection -- lots of rejection, before one can report great success. Needless to say, these are also often asked by the less creative minds in the world, who only ask about the bottom line. So why do I care what they think?

Because there is something in their questions to consider. How long does one try a keep failing? Can you really try for a lifetime and never succeed? And what if the answer to that question is yes, how do you cope? But these are questions for another time.

Tonight, I am holding the first shareholders' meeting. I realize that this cannot be done alone. I have to have support from my husband and child. They have to be willing to give me at least an hour to work on this a day or I am sunk before I leave the port. They have to invest in my future if this is going to work.

No more diet writing.