By Leslie Lindsay
Lately, I have been getting a little nervous about the idea of becoming a an author. I have been so “in the zone” of writing and researching, and trying to find a suitable publisher and now editing that well…I guess I sort of lost track of the fact that all of this hard work will really come to fruit in the form of a book. It will transform me into “just a mom” to published author.
What, me? Really?!? Couldn’t be. Ah, but it is….
But here’s the thing: I won’t change. Nope. It’s still me. I didn’t decide to become a writer. It was just one of those things that happened. It’s always been a part of me; it wasn’t really a conscious decision. I wrote because I wanted to learn. I wrote because I needed more information on how to help my daughter with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), I wrote because I figured if I had questions, then others probably did, too.
So, I get a little bubble of excitement in my tummy when I think of all of the people out there who will read what I have to say. Will they like it? Will they think it stinks? Will I help someone? (I bet all of the above is correct).
I started thinking about the title, “published author,” and it comes down to this: public authority. I don’t want to go getting a big head, or anything, but don’t you agree…a little? A published author becomes a public authority on the subject they just penned?
Wow. That’s a lot of pressure.
I know this: I am a writer–published or not–because I love words. I love to think. I love to put my thoughts into words. And that, well, that is something you can’t take away.
Write on!
Coming in early 2012 from Woodbine House, “Speaking of Apraxia: A Parent’s Guide to Understanding and Coping with Childhood Apraxia of Speech” by Leslie Lindsay, R.N., B.S.N.