Crossing Bridges

Crossing a bridge is like a rebirth.

All our lives we cross bridges as a necessity in life. Some bridges are harder to cross than others. Sometimes we cross a bridge slow but sure, uncertain of each step we are taking. Sometimes we sprint across, easy breezy! Other times we turn around at the halfway point, certain we're going in the wrong direction.

We find a partner and leave our old lives to create a new one, joining together our families ~ tricky at the best of times.

Maybe we stop on that bridge of ours, stop at the halfway point trying to decide for sure if we are heading the right way.

Maybe we seek adventure 'out there' in the world, leaving our boring lives behind. Maybe not dull, but the need to seek something different is real, as is the potential for enriching our lives for the better.

Crossing a bridge from our old life to doing something new can mean leaving people we love behind. Maybe they don't understand the need to get out of a box, where we've been placed but doesn't quite fit or meet our needs. The box, the sensible place, the safe place, where we know how things work, how to behave. That stifling place that suffocates us if our creative needs are not being met. The place outside the box where people raise their eyebrows, perplexed, as we leap into the unknown. Not sure if we are going to be caught on the far shore of new ideas.

I've crossed a lot of bridges in my life so far. Been married divorced, travelled, lived abroad, numerous career moves and role changes amongst many other things. I thought the biggest leap was living overseas for a few years (a whole other story), I was wrong. The biggest leap of all so far has been giving up a successful and varied career to become a writer full time. Some in my life are totally supportive, others seem confused, particularly over the struggle to get published.

"If your work is good, why are we not seeing your book?"

Good question, and if only it were easy.

Querying Agents is a big deal, if somewhat frustrating part of the process, and probably worthy of a posting of its own. Suffice to say, The Queen Elizabeth 2 Bridge is my analogy.

Photo ~ Express.

Known locally as the Dartford Bridge, it spans the Thames between Kent and Essex. I find it a daunting bridge to drive across, staying in the middle lanes, singing at the top of voice to quell my nerves. It's very high (213 feet) and over two miles long. The fact that you can't see the other side (your exit) until the middle of the bridge, means I have to stay focussed (a fear of heights doesn't help).

I've had only positive feedback from agents who like my work, but so far, not enough to take me on. I've even had a couple of agents ask for 'first dibs' on my current Work In Progress (WIP) when it's ready, and that is really encouraging. It keeps me going while crossing the bridge to publication.