May 21, 2017 | Self Publishing. Instead of being the frog who slowly bubbled to death, I chose to be the frog who had an inkling it was time to change his circumstance.
I was bubbling away in the torrents of life with all the other frogs in the pot when I realized no one was gonna come by the stove top and give me a ladle out. No one was gonna tell me when it was the right time to leap before those swirling torrents consumed me in my own mediocrity and uncertainty and oblivion.
I realized this while reading another one of those "Thanks-for-your-manuscript-submission-but-don't-contact-us-for-ten-to-twelve-months-because-we're-incredibly-busy" emails. I saw my fellow frogs in our hot tub of denial and decided I'd be overcooked and rubbery in ten to twelve months.
The funny thing about that frog metaphor -- you know the one -- if you throw a frog in a pot of boiling water, he'll jump out right away. But, if you put the frog in a pot of cool water and slowly increase the heat, he'll sit there, unaware, until it's too late to jump, and he winds up an entree on the menu at the French bistro next door -- the funny thing about that metaphor? It is completely bogus. It has been disproved countless times (apologies to the lab frogs who proved it untrue) that if you throw a frog in boiling water, it will kill him. He'll be too injured to jump anywhere. And if you put him in a pot of cool water, he's not gonna just stay there, enjoying the ensuing warmth.
He's gonna jump while the jumping's good. It's what frogs do.
I guess you can't believe all Incubus lyrics. Sorry, Incubus. I have a thing about lyrics, but I still love your song. (See the Incubus song Warning here.) (See proof of my lyrics fascination here.)
Instead of being the frog who slowly bubbled to death, I chose to be the frog who had an inkling it was time to change his circumstance. As it turns out, that was the easy part. Forgive me for mixing cookware metaphors, but I jumped from the frying pan (work with me here) and into the fire. It has been one gigantic learning experience so far, and I'm pretty certain this is only just the beginning, but that's okay because I got out of the pot, or the frying pan, or the publisher's waiting game, whichever you prefer.
This is the thing . . . if I can jump out of the pot, absolutely anyone else can, too. Seriously. If you have an inkling it is time to stretch those legs, then it is time to stretch those legs. Sure, we might land in the fire, but what's a bit of hopping, really? Worth it. That's what.
The result of my first round of hopping? The launch of my first novel. (See proof here.)
The main characters in the book are doing some hopping of their own. Like I said, if you feel that inkling? Stretch those legs.
Comentários