By Julie Lavender @JLavenderWrites 

It never fails. Every time we take our kindergarten grandson to a park, Benaiah’s first encounter with his “new best friend” begins with “Wanna play tag?”

If new-best-friend responds yes or even dips his or her head slightly in a nod, Benaiah snaps his hand in position, taps the person on the arm or shoulder, shouts “Tag – You’re It,” spins on his heels, and takes off running the other direction.

Actually, I’m usually pretty excited when this takes place, because if the park is empty and devoid of new-best-friends when we arrive, then Grandmommy is expected to be the runner in Benaiah’s favorite game.

On our most recent trip to the park, I was blessed with a sibling group of three new-best-friends that looked stair-step in age from slightly younger than Benaiah to slightly older. As I enjoyed watching all four boys gallivant across the playground, I couldn’t help but think how the game of tag seemed like an engagement with a new-best-friend editor when pitching a writing project.

The first encounter with an editor might be in person or online, but a writer approaches the perspective friend and asks, “May I send you my work?” A slight nod of affirmation from an editor is all that’s needed for the writer to take off running in pursuit of an elusive contract.

The writer starts on level ground and begins the arduous task of completing the manuscript. She researches, checks facts, interviews, and studies, brainstorms and creates. She chooses her words carefully, dotting every “i” and crossing every “t.”

Next, the writer jumps to another level and turns her manuscript in to a critique group for much-needed constructive criticism. She listens intently to each person’s suggestions, traveling across the monkey bar rungs from person to person, hanging onto the good stuff and letting the chaff dribble through her fingers.

With thoughts of an editor’s expectations close on her heels, she climbs higher and runs through a brief tunnel where no light gets in.

It’s here in the semi-darkness that doubt creeps in. Questions flood the writer’s mind.

“What am I doing?”

“Am I an imposter? Just a writer wanna-be?”

“Am I good enough?”

“Why am I wasting my time?”

“Does God really want me to be a writer?”

She can’t give up though. Something beckons her forward, to keep going. and strives harder and harder to reach the pinnacle of perfection.

The light at the other end of the brief tunnel gives the writer the opportunity to climb three more steps, to the tip-top platform of the playground.

She did it!

Extra effort and a few more steps and she made it to the top.

The “editor” runner catches up and with a quick exchange, a tap, and a “Tag – you’re it,” the editor zooms down the slide with the writer in pursuit of acceptance. A few laps around the playground, and then extra laps beyond what the website says for “response time,” and writer and editor come together again.

Both parties exhausted, they collapse on the ground, satisfied with the outcome of the recent events. New best friends, the two discuss what happens next.

Hide and Seek? The game where readers hide and writers seek other opportunities to market?

Or, King of the Mountain – the game where the writer climbs to the top of Amazon’s new release list, snatches one of those orange banners, and then clamors to bestseller status?

But also as I expected, with just a mere three or four minutes of reprieve, one slaps the other one on the back, says, “Tag – you’re it,” and both jump up for additional laps around the publishing world in pursuit of another winning novel or nonfiction hit.

Right about the time I start pondering contracts and Selahs and current writing trends, Benaiah’s three new-best-friends gather their coats slung on the ground and leave the playground begrudgingly.

“I’m going to miss my new-best-friends,” says Benaiah. But before I can reply with “Grandmommy will too,” my little one pushes me on the leg and says, “Tag – you’re it.”

 Julie Lavender enjoyed the release of her first picture book, A Gingerbread House, published by End Game Press, just in time for the Christmas season. She is the author of devotionals, parenting books, children’s educational projects with her biologist hubby, newspaper and magazine articles, and Children’s Bible Stories for Bedtime, published by a Penguin Random House imprint.