On April 4th of this year I began keeping a journal of my writing progress.  That’s a total of 78 days.  I’m learning a great deal about the process itself.  I’m learning very little about how to actually get a book into print without investing my life savings (about $1.98 right now) into the project.  That and the fear of rejection have stifled me along the way.

78 days may not seem like a long time, but in that time two very dear friends passed away, we had to put our dog to sleep, we’ve counseled folks going through job losses, marital issues, parenting and health issues.  We’ve struggled with our own aches and pains.  The aging process often interferes with the things we want to accomplish.

I’ve also gotten back into the swing of a regular rehearsal schedule for a play I’ll appear in next month.  The garden has been calling to me for attention.  School is out which means more time with my granddaughter.  All of this is fodder for another piece of writing I suppose.  It seems something always gets in the way of actual producing a physical book.

I’m at that critical point in the writing process known as editing.  I put the work away for a while.  I have a couple people reading it for feedback.    In a way I feel like I’m procrastinating, but I want to do this the right way and feel like a fish out of water.

• Should I hire someone to edit?  No dough.
• Should I go through it one more time and make the adjustments myself?  Too slow.
• Should I have a friend or relative read it?  I don’t know.
• Should I put it away for another seven years and hope I live long enough to see it get published?  Novels on trees do not grow.
• Should I bite the bullet and send it off as is and pray that someone will have the foresight to publish?  Maybe so.
• Should I start over and write something totally different?  I don’t have the get up and go.

I remember when I was in direct sales and told that the hardest door to open was my own.  That saying has stuck with me over time, but the door doesn’t get any easier to open unless you feel confident in your ability.  Any art form today can be duplicated and reproduced, thus taking some of the value away from it.  Who suffers the most?  The one who creates the work in the first place.

The thought of hiring an agent makes the old cash register ka-ching.  Self-publishing can cost a lot of money too.  As I investigate the options there really aren’t a lot.  I will continue to check around.  In the meantime my novel sits on the shelf until I get up the nerve and the time to revisit it.

Any suggestions from my writer friends out there in blogville will be most greatly appreciated.  A kick in my backside will also be appreciated.