Moving Past the Glow of My Headlights

Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way. – E.L. Doctorow

I think about this quote a lot. I usually operate well within the zone of my headlights. Even when I don’t know where a story is going or who will give me the quote that lights up a profile, I’m confident that I can make the whole trip.

Self-publishing Take the Wheel: A Woman’s Guide to Buying a Car Her Own Damn Self Take the Wheel: A Woman’s Guide to Buying a Car Her Own Damn Self lies beyond my headlights almost entirely now. I wrote, interviewed, researched, and documented all I could. This morning, I handed the manuscript off to my editor, Ali McCart at Indigo Editing and Publications. That’s when my headlights started to sputter. I have no idea what comes next out there in the fog.

I’m self-publishing, but I’m not publishing by myself. I’ve already hired Spot Color Studio to do my marketing and design work for me, as far as logos and web sites and all that jazz go. It’s like they’re driving a completely different car, but they’ll pick me up when they need to take me somewhere, and they’ve got halogen headlights.

I’ve also got Vinnie at Indigo Editing, who does book design work and helps clueless authors like myself unknot the ball of twine that is modern self-publishing. After Ali has edited the book and I’ve struggled with her suggestions, Vinnie will get me through the off-road portion of the trip. He’s also said we could meet soon to talk about the process, which is kind of like getting fog lights.

I hope there isn’t an unforeseen monster waiting for me in the fog, but if I keep getting fresh drivers who know the route, I think I’ll arrive in one piece with a published book in my hand.