Serendipity
Several weeks ago I ordered the book my best friend recommended last year when I told her I was ready to write my novel. After clicking "purchase" on Amazon.com's website, I was giddy with anticipation of the arrival of my guide to writing the best seller I know I was born to write. I'd requested 1-2 day shipping so I could get started as quickly as possible, hoping to capitalize on the momentum of the new year. Each day for a week, I checked my front stoop when I came home like a kid looking for presents on Christmas morning. Each day I was disappointed to find the stoop empty, like Santa had forgotten me. Finally, I checked my orders on Amazon and discovered that the book wasn't in stock and actually wasn't scheduled to ship until between 1/19-26.
So I waited, checking my stoop every few days, hoping the book would come early...alas, no book. As the calendar coasted through the promised dates of delivery, I got more excited. Then yesterday, I got an email from Amazon stating there was a problem with my order & requesting approval to delay delivery until as late as March. Instead of accepting the delay, I started searching the web for other sites where I could obtain the book sooner. All of them, ALL OF THEM, showed at least a 4-6 week delay! When I realized I gone through this same exercise a year ago, I found myself thinking, "Why is this book so elusive?" It's the one thing I've been banking on to motivate me to pick up where I left off last year when my impending relocation, my intensely stressful job, and finally SJA intense overtures led me to distraction.
I guess I'm going to have to start writing again without the guidance I was hoping for. If I wait for this book to arrive it could be like waiting for Espen to call (something I'm certain will never happen). Instead, I'm just going to have to reach deep into my memory for the creative writing skills I was first openly praised for my junior year in high school by Momma Meg, my AP Language Arts teacher. She invited me to join the staff of our school literary journal, Serendipity. I didn't, because I didn't think I was a good enough writer. 16 years later, I guess I'm going to find out.
So I waited, checking my stoop every few days, hoping the book would come early...alas, no book. As the calendar coasted through the promised dates of delivery, I got more excited. Then yesterday, I got an email from Amazon stating there was a problem with my order & requesting approval to delay delivery until as late as March. Instead of accepting the delay, I started searching the web for other sites where I could obtain the book sooner. All of them, ALL OF THEM, showed at least a 4-6 week delay! When I realized I gone through this same exercise a year ago, I found myself thinking, "Why is this book so elusive?" It's the one thing I've been banking on to motivate me to pick up where I left off last year when my impending relocation, my intensely stressful job, and finally SJA intense overtures led me to distraction.
I guess I'm going to have to start writing again without the guidance I was hoping for. If I wait for this book to arrive it could be like waiting for Espen to call (something I'm certain will never happen). Instead, I'm just going to have to reach deep into my memory for the creative writing skills I was first openly praised for my junior year in high school by Momma Meg, my AP Language Arts teacher. She invited me to join the staff of our school literary journal, Serendipity. I didn't, because I didn't think I was a good enough writer. 16 years later, I guess I'm going to find out.
posted by N'j at 6:05 PM
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