I only have a dozen stories or so published but I've already come across a few of my early scribblings and thought, "Oh, I forgot about that one." Maybe this is one reason I've been a reluctant writer. If I create my little babies and then go and create more little babies (I'm being figurative here, just in case my wife is reading) then I don't have time to coddle those initial folios of joy. I'm being a neglectful father.
A friend of mine recently mentioned that he now has over 60 stories published. And he's doing it the smart way too. He writes a story, zips it off to a paying market (and keeps sending it out until it finds a home), and when the rights revert back, he bundles his babies into a collection and sells them again on Amazon. Work once, get paid often. He's an inspiration. But I'm certain he's forgotten a few of his stories by now. Bad dad.
So I look at my cradle full of little ones. I want to hold them and pat them and read them again. But then my creative juices start to flow (sorry!) and I get the urge to...procreate. And this necessitates moving on. I realize I have to let my babies make their own way in the world. Does this make me neglectful? A bad dad? I'm at a crisis point, a decision nexus. What should I do??
Sigh.
I guess I'll be bad.
To continue the parenting analogy...once they've matured to the point where they can make it on their own, you've got to let your babies go out into the cold, cruel world. Do what you can to help them along, but they have to make it on their own sooner or later.
ReplyDeleteToo true! I'm going to blog about stories as "recruits" next week. Should be a fun analogy for anyone who's ever been in multi-level marketing! Thanks for the affirmation: let those babies go. :)
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