On Submission

The worst time in a writer's life, aside from the writing bit of things, and the publishing bit of things, is when a beloved book goes out on submission. Right now, my book is sitting on a number of desks out in the big bad publishing world and I am keeping my fingers crossed. I had acupuncture yesterday and my acupuncturist touched my knee and asked, "are you having obsessive thoughts?" The answer was yes. Apparently I have a weakness in my spleen. I also check my e-mail constantly, and every time my cellphone rings, I jump. You just want one person, one bold, brave person to say "yes." And of course it's more complicated than that, there are editorial boards, and financial discussions, but when you're the writer, you don't see any of that. You sit in silence and cross your fingers and try to learn patience. Sigh.  (mbw)