This is what I'll call an almost true story. Although I must admit, I talk to myself more than I've let on. I hope you like it.
Rear View Mirror
A Short Story
In the same motion that she’d used for the past five years, Jessica fastened her seat belt and started her car. It was a clear June morning; she was on her way to work. She looked at herself in the rear view mirror and sighed. “This isn’t what you said you were going to do, girl.”
The car made its familiar clunk as Jessica put the car in reverse and backed out of her parking space.
She looked at her hands on the steering wheel. “Where are you going?” she said. And her heart broke a little when she realized that where she was going was even further away from where she wanted to be.
“Let’s do something about it,” she said. Her mind went to work on a plan, a plan to reach her goal. This was the day that Jessica was going to take the rest of the steps to being a successful writer.
“How long do I have?” she asked herself.
“Five years,” she answered.
“How will I know when I’ve made it?” she asked.
“When you don’t have to get up to an alarm clock anymore,” she answered. Jessica looked at herself in the rear view mirror and smiled. “That’s going to be the best day,” she added as an additional affirmation.
She thought about the steps along the way. First, she’d go to school to earn the degree that will boost her confidence and, hopefully, earn her respect in the writers’ community. Second, she’d research the industry and learn as much about her future as she could. And lastly, she’d keep writing and keep working to improve her existing stories. A twinkle of hope filled her heart as she pulled onto the freeway and mixed in with the speeding cars.
The cars zooming around and weaving in and out of the lanes brought Jessica’s attention to the challenge at hand but as the traffic thinned, her mind returned to the goal and the plans. She thought about the challenges she’d face. She thought of J.K. Rowling being turned down so many times when she tried to sell the first Harry Potter novel but she kept trying and eventually became a best selling author. Jessica knew that the likelihood of selling a book was not good, but Ms. Rowling kept working at it and so would Jessica.
She thought about the effort involved in writing and how much of her work would never be read. Then she considered that some of Kurt Vonnegut’s best work is his most underappreciated. The same is true for C.S. Lewis. Jessica thought about the books she’d read and the words that those men had spent their hours writing. She wondered if they’d felt like they were working or if they had to stop themselves from writing to get some sleep as she had so many nights before. She wished that there were a way to ask them but decided that they must have loved it as much as she did and so she would never consider writing work, even if no one else reads the words.
The best-selling author of the Sookie Stackhouse novels, Charlaine Harris, wrote a lot of books before she learned how to craft such incredible characters. Only days before, Jessica had finished another of Ms. Harris’ books and was talking with her friends about the strength of the female character had and how much Jessica would need to grow her own writing so her characters would be that strong and believable. And Jessica made a promise to herself that she would.
Neil Gaiman wrote dozens of children’s books and many of the Sandman graphic novels before readers took notice of his fantasy novels and the realistically magical worlds he creates. Jessica hoped that her worlds would seem as real when others read about them. She added reading more books to the list of things she’d do while she was on her road to her goal. Her blinker notified the cars around her that she’d be changing lanes and Jessica worked her little blue car over to the freeway exit ramp.
She could see the building where she worked and she sighed. “That place takes so much of your time,” she said. “But it’s a necessary time taker,” she reminded herself.
Feeling glum again, she thought about her own writing and how amateurish it seemed. Then she remembered that some book sagas don’t have to be well written to sell millions of copies and then laughed. She promised that she’d never allow herself to publish anything she didn’t believe to be well written and intelligent.
Jessica thought about her heroes and the challenges they all faced. She was sure that she’d face her own struggles too but she knew that she must endure them in order to reach her goal.
The parking lot at work was starting to fill but there were still spots near the front doors. Jessica pulled her car into a space and then turned it off. She looked in the rear view mirror again.
“Five more years,” she said and then smiled. “Five more years.”
