I'm pretty excited about it! Although it's led me to thinking about why people enjoy awards so much. My husband and I are runners and a very large reason that we sign up for races is for the medals (or bling). It's not as if we wear them around town or do much with them. They serve no actual purpose, so why do we want them in the first place? Bragging rights, memento, visual reminder, because they are cool? Probably a mixture of all of those things.
The dictionary describes an award as a reward or prize given to someone who deserves or merits it. I guess we all like to feel as if we deserve something. As if we have done something of merit.
Going back to running, after a half marathon I eagerly grab my medal, but not as if I deserve it, more as if I purchased it when I signed up for the race. After running a full marathon, I wearily grab my medal knowing that I've done something of merit. Something truly hard for me. Something that required more than I thought I could give at times. I'm proudest of my marathon medals.
For me, The Watchers is more like a marathon. It took a lot of time, effort, and energy. It took learning a lot of new things. It took expanding into a new industry. Writing the book was hard, but releasing it was almost just as hard in a completely different way.
Before I published The Watchers I asked my husband, "Do you think there is a way to publish this so that everyone else can read it except for people that actually know me?" He laughed and then hugged me.
Putting your words and ideas and inspiration out there for the world to see is scary. It's even scarier when that world includes your neighbors, friends, and family.
I don't know if The Watchers will merit an award, that's up to the judges to decide, but I do know that I would feel like I put in the effort to get it. I would also really like it. It'd be a little more bling to add to my running medals.
P.S. My husband and I almost signed up for a half marathon this weekend (Baker's Dozen Half Marathon) that would have been completely out of the way, a lot of hassle, a four loop course (repeating the same course 4 times sounds awful), and would require us to eat a lot of pastries while running (also sounds awful). Why did we almost sign up, you ask. For the bling!
Now that's a medal!
