No, I’m not selling another book… just yet. I know that what this place has been for a while but I’m taking a break… for now. (I would still appreciate if you bought one of my books, of course.)
I heard some potentially exciting news from my agent the other day. I also heard some potentially exciting news from another agent about another book. I also heard some potentially exciting news from a theater about one of my plays.
… and that’s when it hit me.
Premature Expectations.
Listen, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard potentially exciting news from any number of people. I’m sure they’re all well-meaning but the thing is it rarely, if ever, pays off. Usually, if someone’s going to say “Yes,” they say “Yes.” They don’t say, “This looks great. Let me see if I can do something with it and I’ll get back to you,” or some such crap.
Vicky has been through this a time or two and has taken a decidedly practical stance. She doesn’t get excited until we see a contract, until things are confirmed, because as a writer things can go from “Hell Yes” to “I’m really sorry but things just didn’t work out as we’d anticipated” in a heartbeat.
With that in mind, I’m going to suggest we all just keep our expectations low. There’s nothing wrong with being inspired to do a little more or believing in your work and yourself – these are good things – but I’m going to try not to let myself go crazy with joy… until there’s a reason to do so.
In the meantime, I’m going to take those potentially exciting bits of news and let them inspire me to keep going for the really exciting news to come.
