So I’ve sent out the book to every musician who’s open to reading it. Now comes the hard part. Waiting. It’s ridiculously ironic that I’ve been putting so much effort into getting people to read the book only to feel anxious about how they’ll respond. I’m doing my best to keep from imagining them, book in hand, responding to what they’re reading, but my writer’s imagination is my enemy here.
This book, more than anything I’ve written before, is personal. It came almost completely from my unconscious. Sometimes it felt like I was taking dictation from a voice that both was and wasn’t me. (I’ve humorously described the process in another blog post.) It’s hard not to feel exposed and spiritually naked. It feels like any judgements of the book will be judgements of me.
In my earlier life as a playwright, I had several scathing reviews that went beyond criticizing my work to actually impugn my motive in writing it. Reading that in the paper hurt like hell, but I survived. So I know I’ll be all right no matter how this experiment turns out. But I really love this book and I want it to thrive, almost as if it were my child.
It’s also been stressful to put so much energy into reaching out. I have a typical writer’s personality. I’m much more comfortable looking inward. I’ve cultivated that skill over many years. Asking strangers to invest their time in checking out my story feels almost rude. And yet, I’m doing it anyway.
I’m also preparing to start a YouTube channel to see if I can reach an audience that way. Once again, something way out of my comfort zone. But I don’t want to leave any stone unturned in my crazy experiment.
Anyway, thanks for checking out this site. Please give “Kick Drum” a try and let me know what you think.