I am less than 4 weeks away from feeling, what I am told is, both the most excruciating and sweetest feeling in life—birth. I think it is a very gracious thing, for God, the life-giver, to share the process a little with us. To give us a glimpse into knowing what it means to “make” something that belongs to you and yet has complete freedom to go its own way; to give us a taste of the sweet and sour bliss of it all.
Dare I compare such a divine and coveted process as birth to that of book writing? Of course they are not apples-to-apples, and yet, truly there is a very real sense of struggle and birth pains felt for each author as they bring their book to life. I have seen it plenty in just my short span in editing. The butterflies of excitement in the beginning, finally capturing thoughts on paper after years of consideration, fade to the reality of rewrites and critiques and editor reviews. The personal toil of protecting original intent, tone and audience—or the toil of changing it, necessarily. And then, the third trimester—publishing. Typesetting, creative decisions, layout, cover content, pricing, distribution and marketing… the final details are consuming and stressful until an author comes wobbling side-to-side whimpering “Just get it out!” And then she is born. The maker holds his baby in his arms, and forgetting the long journey, is overwhelmed with thankfulness and pride, because it is finally here. The baby has been born, and a new chapter begins…
