After almost six years of writing a novel, I am at the end of the process. The story has been written, put aside, re-done, edited, critiqued, re-edited, and formatted. The cover has gone through several options and settled on, re-done and tweaked. More so than ever before, I’ve built the marketing around it and have things scheduled and formatted, hashtags, and even refreshed my website in preparation. The release isn’t for three weeks, and now…? I am wandering around my house with nothing to do. My brain keeps asking, ‘what now?’ and I keep shrugging. I have no idea. The follow-up book is in Alpha-testing. The other book characters are silent and stubborn.
I have nothing to do.
So, of course, my thoughts run to my rock stars. Is this what it feels like when a long tour ends? I hear the melody ringing in my head, but that’s all there is. There’s no new song to play yet. The stage lights have come up, roadies are bounding out winding wires around their arm as they pack it all up. The amps have ceased to hum, and in their place is the sound of road cases rolling out.
Meanwhile, I’m still holding the mic center stage saying, ‘wait a second. I don’t think I’m finished.’
So, where to now? It’s not like it’s the first time I’ve felt this way. I’m sure it won’t be the last, but it seems so long between acts that I forgot about this part.
Maybe it’s because it’s my least favorite.
This is where I wait in the wings, watching the last tour wrap itself up, left with the memories, knowing that’s all there is.
I’m guessing it could be like an album release. An artist pours their heart and soul, blood and sweat into lyrics and a melody and now it’s encased in vinyl and sent out to the radio stations (okay, now it’s a playlist released on Spotify or Apple – but it’s not nearly as romantic a vision, right?) in the hopes the DJ gives it air play. In the hopes it resonates with an audience. “It’s got a good beat and you can dance to it.”
Either way, all that’s left now is to stand back with hope in your gut and a nervous energy that propels you around the room trying to figure out what to do with yourself. All the while, questioning – did I do enough? Is it good enough? Will they dance to it?
Time will tell.
Will They Dance to It?
