Remember when you sent your first child off to school for the first time?  You probably took her shopping and bought new clothes—including socks and underwear. You may have purchased a brand new school outfit. When the big day arrived, you made sure your kid looked her best—hair neatly combed (with bows or barrettes for the girls) and shiny shoes with socks folded just so. You packed a nutritious lunch and made sure that your child had crayons, paper, glue and tissues in her backpack, just as the teacher requested. You kissed your kid and told her to have a fun day at school. You reassured her that you would be back to pick her up on time. And then with a tear in your eye, you watched as she climbed aboard the school bus, or walked though the school door for the first time. And you hoped that she would return home from her first day at school filled with excitement and eager to return.

Well, that was how I felt last week when I finally sent the revised copy of my novel to my publisher. I spent hours polishing it—and even wrote a new, more exciting first chapter. I went over the manuscript several times, hoping that any flaws would pop out at me and I would have one more chance to fix them.I formatted the manuscript according to my publisher preferences.

Then, like a Mom sending her most precious belonging off to the care of others, I sent my novel into the care of others. I hope that they will love it as much as I do and treat it with respect. I hope that they will be gentle with it. And when the manuscript comes back to me for rewrites, I hope the essence of the story will still be there.

So much like a mother on her child’s first day of school, I set aside my anxieties and entered into a new relationship with people that I don’t know all that well. And like a good parent-teacher relationship, I hope that eventually we will develop mutual trust and respect and work together as a team.

Yes, there was a tear in my eye as I sent the manuscript away to the people who will shape and mold it into the best story it can be.