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Monday, May 21, 2012

Patience, something to strive for…

By BD Tharp
The dictionary says the following about Patience:
pa·tience  /(noun) [pey-shuhns]
1. The quality of being patient, as the bearing of provocation, annoyance, misfortune, or pain, without complaint, loss of temper, irritation, or the like.
2. An ability or willingness to suppress restlessness or annoyance when confronted with delay: to have patience with someone or something.
3. Quiet, steady perseverance; even-tempered care; diligence: to work with patience.

I think it is safe to say that MANY of us struggle with patience, especially in the business of writing. The process of writing and editing takes a long time, sometimes years. And finding an agent or publisher is very time consuming and may take months before you receive a response. (Everyone is SO busy!)

Then there’s the time it takes to publish a quality book, we’re talking 1-2 years here. Is it worth the wait? I certainly hope so. As a writer I want my book to be beautiful and error free. As a reader I don’t want to be distracted by typos or POV shifts. I want to sink into the book and experience it.

What other things do we have to muster up patience for? Cooking is one of my worst. I’m very easily distracted so rather than watching the pot until it boils over, I go read a book instead. You don’t want to know how many boiled eggs have exploded in my kitchen because I was too impatient to wait for them to cook. (Burnt egg STINKS!)

Many authors are impatient to publish. They write their manuscript and get so excited they don’t take the time to edit it to a polished shine. Like anything, a really great book takes time to write and time to find the right publisher. This is where self-publishing can be a boon or a bane. As a reader I want the next book in a series as soon as I’ve finished reading the first one and it takes the author a lot longer to write it, or a publisher to publish it, than it takes for me to read it. We all need a little more patience.

Here’s a statistic for you: How long does it take an elephant to give birth? Answer: One year and 10 months, or 22 months. Almost 2 years folks and they birth standing up. How is that for patience?

So, the next time I have to wait in line for my driver’s license or I’m stuck in traffic on the highway and the air conditioner isn’t working, I’ll try to remember this little episode in life will only take a few minutes-hours, not years. I’ll take my iPod and listen to music, be-bopping in line! It’ll make me feel better and it might even catch on.

Enjoy the journey. Peace.

5 comments:

BD Tharp said...

Feel free to leave a comment.

Jacqueline Seewald said...

Hi, Bonnie,

It does take tremendous patience to become a published writer. The writing itself is the creative, enjoyable part. Selling our work is another matter entirely. Right now, I'm wearing my P.R. hat, trying to get publicity for my new romantic suspense thriller DEATH LEGACY.

BD Tharp said...

Congratulations on your new book. Good news indeed! Authors do wear many hats these days, but then women always have! What do you do to help improve your patience? I sometimes get so keyed up I have to go for a walk. By the time I get back I'm much more relaxed and ready to go again.

Patricia Stoltey said...

I also like the be-bopping to music option when patience is required, especially if I'm waiting in traffic. My favorite radio station plays light rock from several eras, so it's also very nice for exercising (which tries my patience even more than traffic).

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