There is much talk of how writers exist in isolated bubbles. All day we hunch over keyboards, pecking away, creating worlds we sincerely hope others may one day see. It is a sometimes difficult occupation, and quite often a fairly lonely chunk of our lives. But, on occasion, our lonely little bubbles bump into other bubbles, and things start to look up.
Last week before submitting to the ABNA was–interesting. No major drama, or anything, but just a series of mental hurdles to leap over, crawl under, and crash into. Had I been jumping through the prerequisite hoops alone, I probably would have put my head through the monitor. Thankfully, John–one of the first internet bubbles I had ever grazed–was standing by for me. In him I have found a great writing partner, a sometimes brutal, but always honest, editor, and a pretty cool friend. John, you probably don’t ever drop by here–you bastard–but if by some chance you happen to stumble over this post, thanks for everything–and, uh, sorry for the, “bastard,” part.
So, I submitted my novel yesterday, then moseyed back to the internet to find an email from Christina, that I had won a drawing, and that my buddy Pirate Steve–who clearly understands I’m unreliable when it comes to keeping up with posts–had dropped by to give me the heads-up. And that’s when this whole post came together. I realized that yes, my week had been tough. But, it wasn’t at all lonely.
This post is for all of you–the ones I’ve met and become friends with; the ones who pop by even when I’m a slacker about posting/viewing posts; the ones who drop me emails to see if I’m alive; and the ones who, by just floating around in their little bubbles, make me feel better about it all.
Thanks, guys.
Hell and Wheels 
February 6th, 2009 at 11:37 pm
Spy — When blowing bubbles my siblings used to see who could make the biggest single bubble, where I tried to make the most clustered. I loved to see my floating, prismatic anomaly glide past their soap-splattered faces. Steve — “A toxic green color, of course…”Flattery will get you everywhere, dear.
February 6th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
You may feel like you’re in a bubble, but for me you’re a bright light, twinkling in the sky. A toxic green color, of course… ;-p
February 5th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
I love the blogosphere, Avery. I think your “bubble” analogy is perfect. As a kid, I used to stare at them ALL day. So pretty!This sort of explains why I read blogs all day, too. LOL!
February 5th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
Christina — Thanks. As I keep saying, I’m’a gonna need it.About the bubble, I’d say I’m a genius, but really, I just saw the image and the connections made themselves.
February 5th, 2009 at 1:25 am
I was happy to get any email from you too! Good luck with everything we talked about. Also, I love the thought of writers and bubbles, connecting with the Wizard of Oz. lol. I’m going to be humored by that for a while. Yikes, do I need another gold fish?
February 4th, 2009 at 4:42 pm
Charles — I’m doing another little happy dance in my chair.Sidney — It’s a relief. Actually knowing those who are enmeshed in the same struggle is much more heartening than just understanding in the abstract those people exist. I love it when others have the same thoughts as I do on the same day; more of that feeling of interconnectivity at work. I’ll go check out Jeffrey’s post.Lana — Thanks. I’m trying to be better, really. Miladysa — He needed to be outed for his good deeds. And putting up with me is a very noble deed, indeed.
February 4th, 2009 at 11:34 am
LOL – I really hope John does pass by and read this – it would be such a shame if he missed it ;D
February 4th, 2009 at 7:25 am
Always nice to hear from you, even sporadically. 🙂
February 4th, 2009 at 3:23 am
Kind of cool: Jeffrey Zeldman, web guru, posted a thought on Twitter earlier today: No man is poor who has internet friends.
February 4th, 2009 at 3:09 am
It is pretty cool how much connectivity the web has provided. The lonely writing life isn’t what it once was.
February 4th, 2009 at 1:24 am
I’m addressing your winnings even as I read your blog post. Yeah!