51 Weeks to Publication
Just one more thing...
When is the research done? I’m having trouble pulling the trigger and submitting the manuscript to my editor because I feel like there is more that can be done. There is always something more, some new fact, photo, or story right around the corner that would be the perfect anecdote and add that crucial bit of sparkle to keep readers turning the pages.
Eventually, it will start looking like my shriveled Christmas tree on New Year’s Day, just begging to be stripped of the excess ornamentation and put outside.
For context, I have been researching this specific topic for years now, I’m embarrassed to tell you exactly how many, but it’s a lot. I know the story. I’ve written the story a few times now. At some point I will have to let it out of my hands, but there are so many little tweaks and areas that I feel like I could dig into just a little further.
This delay I actually have a good reason for. I’ve finally connected to a person I’ve been trying to reach for years, and she is willing to share brand new information! So, the good news is obvious – new details! New insights! Maybe even a new perspective!
The bad news is that the work still isn’t done. I’m beginning to think that in my own mind, it never will be. So, all of the other things in my life that I’ve been ignoring while I chase this deadline will have to wait a little longer while I try my best to keep my gaze forward and running right along.
It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon.
Today’s inspiration comes from Kathrine Switzer. While running the Boston Marathon in 1967, she is grabbed by an official that is trying to physically remove her from the race because women were not allowed to run.
Her coach and her boyfriend are running beside her, one trying to reason with the official, and the other preparing to give the man a body block to allow Kathrine to keep running.
Kathrine was focused and determined. She wouldn’t let anything stop her or slow her down. She had a goal, and she made it happen. She finished the marathon that day, becoming the first woman to officially complete the Boston Marathon.
She was met at the finish line by a group of angry reporters, demanding that she explain what she was trying to accomplish. One man suggested she’d caused a lot of problems for no reason, as she’d never be running again. Kathrine responded, “someday you're going to read about a little old lady who's 80 years old, who dies in Central Park on the run. It's going to be me. I'm going to run for the rest of my life!”
quote credit and read more here
Kathrine kept running, and eventually even became friends with the man who tried to pull her off course in the ultimate illustration of strength and grace.
xo Aime