by Julie Kingsley
I spent much of April floored by a head cold. It wasn’t one of those just have a few sniffles colds, but a solid melting into the floor bug. I spent nine days on the couch watching hours and hours of television. This, as you could imagine, filled me with creative self-loathing, but it was all my noggin could handle during this dark time of vertical misery. And watch I did. I watched Hollywood Medium, and Grey’s Anatomy, and when I got really low, I watched Bravo’s “Housewives” series. Confession, I watched all of them. Once my brain got a little peppier, I realized something quite profound from The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Most importantly, Erika Girardi.
Erika Girardi, stage name Erika Jayne, always talks about her Glam Squad. It’s this group of fabulous hair, make-up, and fashion folks that make her…well, fabulous.
Once my head cleared, I picked up Susie Steiner’s mystery, Missing, Presumed (Random House 2017). It was fabulous (Just like Erika Jane!). Then it hit me. I bet this book has a full on writing “Glam Squad.” A full of team of professionals that make sure that a manuscript looks the best it can be from every angle. This team makes sure not a hair, I mean a word, is out of place. The squad makes sure that tension is rock solid throughout, that typos (ah… the bain of my writing existence since I broke my finger) are taken care of. Poof! Like magic.
Here’s the thing, I don’t know much about Erika Girardi, but from what I can tell, she’s worked really hard to be where she is. Writers, who have the full backing of the publishing world, also work really hard.
I guess my sick self, and now my better self, has come to the conclusion that all we can do is to work hard every day. Comparing yourself to a Real Housewife of Beverly Hills, or a NYT’s bestselling author might be too harsh. Just make yourself some tea, walk away from the television, and do the best you can. With luck, we’ll all get our writing glam squads, but for today, let’s just keep to the basics and focus on the goals at hand.
Happy writing everyone,
Julie