\”…I do not think that any speech will help me. For I know what I should do, but I am afraid of doing it…\” — Frodo to Boromir, The Fellowship of the Ring 

How\’s that for a dramatic opener?

It\’s not saving the world that I am doing, just writing stories. But Homes is as complete as it ever has been; I have two synopses written (one long, one short); I have multiple query letters to pick from and a list of agents and publishers I am interested in querying. I know what I should do, but I\’m just afraid.

This is the only conclusion I can draw.

Oh, I could read it and re-read it and edit and revise and edit again. After all, it\’s supposed to be the \”best it can be\” before you start shooting in the dark, right? But I don\’t want to edit again because I\’ll end up in a whirlpool of editing and never stop nor begin shopping the thing around. If there\’s a shot that I can get published, I ought to get to it. But I am afraid.

Afraid that it\’s not good enough, that it will be shot down for years until somebody finally has a good look and decides it might be worth publishing, that it will just be plain ignored. In short, all of those things that I didn\’t think I cared about six months ago turned out to be things I do really care about.

And that\’s okay. Could be it\’s just the right time to get moving. After all, it\’s the job that\’s never started as takes longest to finish.

Maybe after one more read-through…