I went into the post office today. Normally, that’s not a sentence that is worth writing down – but considering I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve been inside any such establishment since *checks watch* March, this was a big deal. I donned a mask. I went inside. I tried my best to not clench my jaw.
So what brought me inside? Lucy. Three copies of my WIP printed and stuffed into manilla envelopes, addresses already written on the fronts in an effort to minimize the time spent indoors with other people. (I also had return envelopes that I needed to have weighed and stamps affixed to, and after I folded them and stuffed them inside with my manuscript, and despite the large piece of plexiglass between us, I still stepped back and turned to the side before I lowered my masked and licked the envelope shut. Life is strange.)
This is the roughest draft of anything I have ever shared with anyone. Even when I sent Jack pieces of Alice, I had already revised and edited them several times. I think part of the process is growing a thicker skin – being less afraid to be vulnerable by handing work over. The other part is I need eyes on it. The word count is still bit short – but I don’t want to add fluff for the sake of hitting 80K. I want to know what people want from Lucy. And then I want to add it. So, she is on her way. And she gets to travel farther than I do this year – to Illinois, to Oregon, and to Washington state.
And now I wait. I can’t wait to hear their thoughts.
Ami Maxine 