Someone on the Other End of the Line

I just (JUST) sent the manuscript for my third novel (sixth book) to my editor in New York. Hit the SEND button, and that was it. She wrote back within moments to say, "Thanks! Can't wait to read it!" and lots of other happy words about the title, the publication date, this and that. It made me so incredibly happy -- to have met my deadline; and to have written something I like very much; and to anticipate the fun of a book being published in 2010. But the main source of happiness, really, is that I had someone expecting my work. Someone receiving it. Someone who I know will read it with great care and concern. That very simple reality is the heart of the whole thing: I write, someone reads. People who create things need to have someone on the other end of the line in order to complete the communication. It's obviously a wonderful and lucky thing to have that someone be an executive editor at a big New York publisher. But that's icing on the cake. We create in order to express something to someone. Closing the loop is a glorious thing.