Staring at Elongating Shadows

I've reached that point where I'm already anxious to get Eighth Grade Bites out there under the nose of some agents and, let me tell you, there is no greater danger than that of an anxious writer. I take a lot of deep breaths and concentrate that energy into writing, which is where it should be, as opposed to querying, which is so far into the horizon that it should only be a minor twinkle. Instead it's a shiny object and I hunger for the day I can tell agents about Vlad's series.

But then, last night, as I was lying awake & staring at shadows, it occurred to me that if (when when when when when) EGB manages to find representation for its lord & master (Think I can use that instead of "author"? I much prefer it) and if my wonderful, brilliant, incredibly attractive (Any agents reading this? *ahem*) agent sells it...it might be the only book of the series to get picked up. And what then? Each book, of course, will be able to stand on its own, but who says that the first will be a big enough success to ensure another getting picked up? It's a crap shoot.

So I asked myself, "Self," I said ('cuz that's what I call me). "Self, are you really okay with the likelihood that even if you manage to get Vlad in print, you may be forced to leave him stranded mid-series?" "No," I told myself, "but what choice do I have?"

None. I have to write. And I'm fully aware that my chosen profession has a lot of "ifs" that may leave me reaching for the tissues, but in the end, it's worth it. Just to create Vlad, to have the privilege of knowing him...that's enough.

Because if it's not enough just to write about him, then why bother writing at all?