Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Nothing gold can stay

Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower,
But only so an hour...

-Robert Frost

I think of this poem a lot this time of year, as the leaves begin to unfurl from their buds. For a few precious weeks, they're a delicate shade of gold. Then they open fully, and suddenly everything is vividly green.

This poem could describe a writing career, too. Before an author sells, her writing is like a tightly budded leaf-- full of potential and promise. She knows the potential is there, but no one else seems able to see it. When she sells her first book, it's a golden moment, and before long her writing is unfurled for all the world to see. But all too soon the luster fades as she begins to struggle with promoting herself and writing new books.

There are many golden moments in a writing career-- every new sale, every contest win, every terrific review and fan letter-- but even if an author's career is green and flourishing, she'll never quite recapture the magic of that first call, when new possibilities stretched before her in a golden haze.

3 comments:

  1. I guess because none of my work is out yet, I still feel that luster. But I admit, the little bit of promo I've done so far is exhausting and inevitably leads to, "I went to your site and I can't buy anything."

    Very sad. :-(

    *g*

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  2. But you'll have two books available in June, right?? I bet you're excited!

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  3. Yes, two in June. And I am excited. :D
    I hope people like them. It'll be a bit scary to have stuff out for review.

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