Pressing "publish"

I have always been an instant-gratification type of person. When I work out for a week, I expect results and when they aren't there, I get annoyed.  It is so easy in our society with all the advanced technologies for food services, taxis, groceries, and anything you could imagine on the internet.  I wanted to become a writer in third grade after drawing an amazing photo of our family's black lab Monet and myself hanging out in my bedroom. I won artist of the month and pretty much knew the image would be a best seller.

Flash forward-- it wasn't.  The slow, aggravating, wonderful, and tenacious process of writing is worth every single tear, drop of sweat, and swear word.  I finished the first draft of Let Life Happen three years ago. I'm going to be honest-- it was awful.  The characters were "eh," the story was "blah," and the dialogue felt awkward as hell. I rewrote it, then rewrote it again, and then found an amazing editor who helped shape all my thoughts into the story that I have fallen in love with.   Jenna and Aiden were in my mind, swirling around and desperately needed to get onto the pages. They were bold, loud, colorful in the best ways, and finally have their story. 

Pressing "publish" to put the story out for the rest of the world is terrifying--unlike anything I have ever done. I stand in front of 200 teenagers every single day with sullen attitudes and rolling eyes, yet this is tough.  So, I press publish with the knowledge I worked as hard as I could, have zero regrets about their story, and know that chasing a dream doesn't have to make sense to everyone else around you. So, if you're here reading this, thank you. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate it and hopefully you'll be back here soon. 
​
XO, 
​Jaqueline