Back Cover Inspiration

On Saturday morning I found myself reading a book instead of finishing writing my book once again. It was one of the usual stories I'm drawn to: non-fictional personal journeys across the globe. Similar to the story I'm writing.    

To that friend of a friend editor whom I reached out to back in the early days that discouraged me by saying "there are a 100 books like the one you're writing out there," talk to people like me who have read countless variations on this type of book and still go back for more.  

The book I'm reading is Paris Letters by Canadian expat Janice MacLeod. I was enjoying it thoroughly said Saturday morning, imagining myself sitting on a bench in Paris with pastel-coloured Macarons melting on my tongue. She started a business sending copies of painted letters from Paris to subscribers around the world and the artwork is simple but fantastic.  I flipped to the back page to see what image she had chosen for the inside in-colour cover, and it was a water-colour with none other than a red umbrella.

If You're Asking for a Sign to Keep Going

Some of you may know what that means to me (others can simply look at the title of my blog to know that it might just have some significance in my life). And it was exactly the inspiration I needed at a pretty low writing point. It felt like one writer reaching out to another and saying gently (or maybe not so gently) to keep going. Edit the damn thing and then move on! It's such a heavy task that it sits there on my desk like a big lump of anxiety and procrastination and unfinished business. 

So here's the plan: Just do it. Just write.  Stop worrying about the endgame.  

Will it ever be better than good? Will I get published? Will I get read? Will I have wasted my time?  

Who cares!  

Because if I never get there, all my worrying's a waste of time anyhow. And with that, we start editing number two.

Maybe I can shave a few pages off of this massive read. 

Pep talk done…Carrie out.