Writing and Waiting

Everyone talks about writing the book. The ideas. The characters. The late nights when the story just flows and you can't type fast enough to keep up. That part? I love.

What no one really talks about is the waiting. The waiting after the words are written. The waiting after you hit send. The waiting for someone else to take your story and bring it to life. Waiting for illustrations.

There's something exciting about knowing your story is in someone else's hands, being turned into something visual. But it's also one of the hardest parts. Because in your mind, you already see it. You know what the characters look like. You know how the pages should feel. And then you wait to see if someone else sees it the same way. Waiting for the book to be printed.

So you wait. Waiting for feedback. This for me is the hardest part. Because writing, especially for me, is personal. Even when I adjust the stories, soften the edges, and shape them into something meant for children, there are still pieces of me in every page.

So when the book goes out into the world, there's this quiet pause. Did it connect? Did it matter? Did someone see themselves in it? Or did it just... pass by?

Waiting can feel like standing still. But I'm learning that it's not. Because even in the waiting, something is happening. Growth is happening. The next idea is forming. The next story is starting to take shape, even if I don't realize it yet.

I'm not great at waiting. I like progress. I like movement. I like seeing things come together. But this part, the in-between part, is part of the process too.

And maybe it's not about getting through the waiting as quickly as possible. Maybe it's about learning how to sit in it. Trusting that something is still unfolding... even when I can't see it yet.