Journey to publish

The last day of class was usually the day everyone bolts out the door when possible, but us writers stayed in our seats instead.

“I’m just gonna talk about some publishing things for people who are interested,” our teacher repeated. I always called him Turtle, because he’s old, wise, and talks so slow. “You’re not obligated to stay.”

No one moved. Some of us pulled out blank sheets of paper for notes instead. We all leaned forward in our seats. 

Our teacher half smiled, flabbergasted. He couldn’t look us in the eyes. “I guess you all want to hear about publishing.”

We all laughed it off, ready. 

It took me by surprise at how much some of us skipped or didn’t pay attention as much as we should’ve in class, but as soon as our teachers talk about real jobs, we’re attentive. We want to cross the finish line already and see our goals in action but skip all the work to get there. We didn’t desire to see our money disappear left and right. We wanted the happy ending here and now.

I don’t think we should skip the road to our goals though. Success overnight doesn’t have as much gratifying effect as working for it. I like the journey and mountain to climb more than the view some of the time.

What about you? Is it the journey or the view that matters the most? Leave a comment below!