Years ago, I had a bit of an obsession with Jane Yolen's Journal and began thinking of her as my on-line mentor. What attracted me was her ability to churn out incredible amounts of work and maintain a very active social life. For a while I thought that reading of her exploits would improve my own output. Eventually, though, I began to think that I wasn't modeling myself on her, but comparing myself to her, which wasn't at all good for me because the woman is a freaking machine that appears to exist to write, publish, and go out to eat with interesting friends.
For whatever reason, I decided to start dipping into her journal again. The old Jane work ethic might be a kick in the pants, which can only do one good. So I was reading this post filled with all kinds of exciting work news about book sales and revisions and the ins and outs of editors, and thinking, Yes! Yes! OMG! I am like a plant and Jane is the sun! This is wonderful!
Then I got to the end of her post where she starts talking about having a dessert party for fifteen friends. I couldn't scrape together fifteen friends who would come to my house for dessert, and if I could, I don't know what I'd do with them while we were eating. Then she had four houseguests for five days. Come on! Five days! I wouldn't even want to be someone's houseguest for five days, forget about having someone stay with me that long. And four people? That would take my guestroom and both the sleeper sofas. (Why do I have two couches that turn into beds if I don't want houseguests, you may ask? I cannot be trusted in a furniture store.)
So now I'm feeling anxious again, which is only compounded by the fact that I'm going away for three days and taking one of the elders with me. I need to relax tonight and not be thinking about making dessert! And I know I'm going to go back to Jane's journal when I get back home, drawn like a moth to the flame upon which she will expire.
By the way, I call Jane Jane not because I am being forward but because once during a conference Q&A I asked her a question, and at another conference I had her sign a book for me, so it's almost as if we know each other.
Hey. I wonder if I should friend her on Facebook.
5 comments:
But Jane lives in a castle. Somehow that--not the work ethic, not the success (although they are undoubtedly related)--THAT is what I cannot get over. A CASTLE. Sheesh.
I'm stuck on the 15 friends part myself. Maybe I would have more friends if I lived in a castle.
But then again, I'm not sure I want that many friends. Unless one can define them somewhat loosely. I'd be happy as all get out, for instance, to host a children's book blogger event...
What? She lives in a castle? How did I miss that? I knew she had two homes, one in another country, whereas I can't keep the one home I have here in this country livable. But a castle?
Yeah, Charlotte, I often think of bloggers I've never met in the flesh as friends in order to pad the the number of friends I can claim.
I have been lurking, spying on, Jane via her journal for some time. I don't think Wayside is a castle but the woman is the queen of creativity, marketing, and socializing. I've met her a few times too. When I'm not totally jealous, I respect her work ethic enormously. Sigh. Thank goodness she only posts every two weeks or so. I tell myself if she illustrated too, she wouldn't be published quite as much...right?
Nancy--If she illuatrated, too, maybe she'd be published even more because she'd have another area in which to work and achieve.
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