A Total (Lunar) Eclipse of the Heart...
On feeling all the things, and why it takes a village to publish a book
It’s the full moon again—can you believe it? This full moon will be a lunar eclipse tonight (although primarily only viewable in Europe, Asia, Africa, and parts of Australia), after a solar eclipse a few weeks ago that folks viewed from the west coast and South America.
You could say that we are in an eclipse season. You could say that.
It’s a weird time to be alive, however, right now. It's maybe not a great time to be an American, living in America. But it’s an even worse time to be living in so many other places.
Every time I try to check the news and get updates about the world — to try to be a good, informed citizen, or because I want to know about life outside of my tiny bubble — the worst of all of humanity comes crashing through. War in Israel and Gaza, war in Ukraine, the mass shooting this week in Maine, everything kind of being just terrible…. it’s a tough time to try to participate in global society without just screaming at the top of our lungs, crying out in despair, or avoiding everything in cynicism and denial.
So maybe we can take comfort in the moon, in nature, in the gentle cycle of the earth and the planets around us, orbiting gently through space?
Maybe we can take comfort in each other, in our communities, and in our friends, and families, and the stories we tell each other, to make each other laugh and to feel connected to our favorite familiar people and find kinship with strangers?
If all else fails, we can boot up some melodramatic songs from the 80s and 90s and sing along to them at the top of our lungs.
David and I do this a lot. It can offer some catharsis, or emotional release. (ask him about how we started sobbing last week to a Sufjan Stevens song… uh, this one. Play at your own risk with tissues handy.)
So anyway, existential angst and general sadness about humanity aside, what am I doing here, what am I offering about the writing journey this month?
The good news from my tiny little bubble of the writing world is that I sold my Taiwan book!
It’s funny, the whole thing is a bit anti-climactic because I’ve been working on it FOREVER (truly, for more than a decade, and if I’m honest I admit that it’s closer to 15 years), and I’ve looked for an agent for the last 1-2 years, and my agent Jacqui and I submitted the book to publishers about 6 months ago…. so it’s been a long time coming. But the book will be a book, and it will have a cover and everything, circa early next fall (Sept 2024, give or take).
So what’s been coming up for me this week, besides relief at a literal signed book contract, is a moment of transition. I’m reflecting on the process to get here, embarking on the editing/production/promotion process, and thinking beyond the book, about what I’ll be working on next. And it struck me, as I posted the announcement on social media and fielded the kindest possible outpouring of congratulations from friends and family and former teachers and former coworkers and current colleagues and people I really admire, is that it takes a village to see a book through to completion.
If you are reading this, you are my village. So, thank you!
But also, if you are working on a book project of your own, it’s OKAY to ask for help. It’s GOOD to ask for help! Help comes in so many forms: moral support, financial support, critical feedback on pages, encouraging feedback on pages, accountability and encouragement, support from writing groups, support from classmates and teachers in classes and workshops, support from colleagues at writing conferences or residencies or other places where people go and write together, and the love and encouragement from family members and friends who acknowledge and affirm that yes, you are a writer.
And it’s important, when we are working on long projects that seem endless and thankless and readerless for a long time, to fuel our creative selves with breaks, shorter projects, and other forms of inspiration to keep us nourished for the marathon that is book writing and book revising and bookselling.
In astrology, eclipses signify transitions, inflection points, moments when things change, and when we can create change.
According to that great bastion of astrological wisdom, Today.com, “Astrologers say lunar eclipses shed light on the aspects of our lives that we need to focus on or change. This eclipse is asking us to plant seeds for the future. We are being celestially tasked to create a life for ourselves that is rich and fulfilling.”
Sometimes the darkest days are the ones that seem like we will never have control over our lives, never get out of the deepest rut, never feel the simple pleasures of childlike wonder or joy, never feel good again. But in those darkest moments, it’s okay to believe, to light a little candle of faith, and promise ourselves that we will feel good again. We can feel fulfilled and creative and connected and gratified in our tiny safe little bubbles, for perhaps just one brief moment, even when the world around us is on fire. Perhaps in these moments, we NEED to feel fulfilled and creative and connected and gratified even more than ever.
Wishing you a safe and fun Halloween on Tuesday, and a little peace of mind. To the whole world out there, sending out hopes for peace and the end of merciless suffering. May this eclipse usher in a new perspective that helps this world heal.
Congratulations on your book!
Hi love reading your writings…💗😉