Color Me Happy.

Today I did the Color Run 5k with my high-school aged son and my college freshman daughter. As I mentioned on Facebook, it was a beautiful, bright, fun, silly hunk of awesome sandwiched between two pieces of godawful, make-you-want-to-slap-yourself traffic. While my son trotted on ahead, because he can run a 5k in his sleep, my uber-fit daughter hung with the old lady (that would be me.)
What's cool about the Color Run, in case you didn't know, is that several times during the walk/run you go through a giant, inflatable colored arch (pink, blue, yellow) and you get smacked full in the face and body with an edible colored powder that stains your hair, skin and clothes. And you find yourself asking for more, please.
Not to sound too saccharine, but I was thinking what a nice metaphor for life that is. You're walking along, putting one foot in front of the other, maybe things aren't all that exciting...heck, maybe even you've stumbled on a bump in the road. But then life just rises up and throws a fistful of pink at you. And you laugh, and you're grateful and yes, you want more.
Yesterday I got smacked with some pink. My editor in the U.K., Abi, sent back my manuscript with her edits and notes. I'll admit, it's not easy putting your work out there for someone to critique but I tell myself over and over, "she wants to make me better." She called me out on all my slip ups in the tense department and gave me some really good suggestions for improvement. But what really made my soul soar was that she "got me." She understood what I was trying to do. She was surprised by the twists in the book and she gave me high marks in plot, dialogue and character development. Obviously, mama's got some work to do, but I got me some pink.
Today, I got gobsmacked with some yellow. I mentioned in an earlier post that a woman who had judged my entry in the Romance of America's Golden Heart Awards contest had sought me out through Facebook. I ended up sending her my first 40 pages for critique. It was clear to me that this woman had taught writing at some point. Her points were so salient and spot on. She told me she used to teach but now she mentors and that she was only a phone call or email away should I need her. What she said was what I knew in my heart and also what I wanted to hear with all my heart. I have some problems with the mechanics of writing. No surprise there since I've never actually learned how to write, construct a plot, give a character form and nuance. But that, she told me, can all be taught. What can't be taught is a voice that's true and literary and that my manuscript just needed some tightening to shine. She thought it had publishing potential. Of course, that's what everyone writing a book would like to happen, so from her mouth to an agent's ear.
Well, here I sit all pink and yellow and asking for more. And I'm not going to wash it off.

What's cool about the Color Run, in case you didn't know, is that several times during the walk/run you go through a giant, inflatable colored arch (pink, blue, yellow) and you get smacked full in the face and body with an edible colored powder that stains your hair, skin and clothes. And you find yourself asking for more, please.