Accomplishment

Quote for the Week

In 1910, Julia Louise Woodruff wrote "Harvest Home" in Sunday at Home:

Out of the strain of the Doing,
Into the peace of the Done.

Last night, completing the final proofread of my mother's memoirs, I entered the peace of the Done. And, oh, how glorious that peace is!

Backstory

A year ago I had decided to compile all the essays and stories of her youth that my mom had written into a little book. I thought it would be a nice Christmas present to give her with a copy and print some for my brothers and all our kids so they'd have a chance to get acquainted with Nanny as a interesting person who had led an interesting life - not just as their aged grandmother.

So I started work on this little project, but I made the mistake of telling my mother what I planned to do. I should have known better. My mother immediately imagined a beautiful bound book that all her friends could buy in their favorite bookstore.

Of course I told her no publisher would want a biography or memoir from anyone who was not a household name. That did not quench her enthusiasm for what was now her project.

Little Project That Grew

The little project turned into a big project that involved purchasing the Adobe suite, roping in my daughter the artist, and learning that what publishing professionals do is worth every penny they're paid. All in all, my mom's memoirs took a big chunk of my writing life for the past 12 months.

The book, naturally, wasn't ready for a Christmas present last year. However, it's now finished. I'm checking with the various POD publishers today to get the best deal. Then I'll upload the manuscript and stunning cover art. In about a week, I'll have a proof copy. If I did my job well, there won't be any errors. Even if I have corrections, the book will still be ready for Christmas.

Fait Accompli

You'll see an announcement everywhere about MEMORY LANE: My Sentimental Journey by Lucille Dickinson Ainsworth and Joan Ainsworth Reeves. I plan to paper the Net with notices because I'm SOOOOO glad I've finished.

I hope many of you see fit to order a copy since my mom has visions of sales dancing in her head. Her book will be on Amazon for sure because I did it the right way with ISBN etc. Just stay tuned for more news about my mom's book. I'll list the POD publisher so you can buy straight from there too.

Takeaway Truth

When you commit to a project, give it all you've got. A project may take longer than you wish, but the sense of accomplishment, engendered by meeting the demands of excellence, is priceless.