All authors are neurotic, it's solely a matter of degree. Sometimes I wonder if it's part of the creative mindset. Let's face it, we all have fabulous imaginations and we're able to dream up all kinds of scenarios which tend to make us worry about things normal people wouldn't.
One of my issues is email. I absolutely hate it when people don't reply, not even a one liner, because then I sit there and worry like mad that it was lost. Email does go astray, get stuck in spam filters, and things like that so it's a legitimate concern. It would go a long way to alleviate my mind if I would just get a note that said, "Got your email, thanks." See? Four words, ten seconds to type and I can relax. :-)
I sent an email with my dedication for "Dark Awakening" last week, but received no indication that it arrived. And yesterday I sent a one-page article to someone in my local writing chapter for a handout they're doing. I didn't exactly stick to the topic--craft--and I have dual worries here: did the email make it? And is what I did choose to write about okay? Because I can't really talk about craft. My best answer to craft questions is something like: I don't know; I just sit down and write.
I absolutely hate having to email people to ask if they received my email. I'm not sure why I feel this way, but I do feel like I'm bothering them because if they got the email and decided it didn't need a response, then I feel kind of stupid.
And right now, I have another email I'm worrying about. My editor sent me a note about a month ago, telling me she was working on my revision letter, but I never received anything. So is she still working on my revisions? Or did her email to me get lost? Maybe it's floating in the black hole that lurks in cyberland and all this time she's been thinking I'm working on the book when I'm not because I never received anything. Maybe I'm going to get a note from her asking where the revisions are. Maybe I'm going to work myself into a state before the weekend.
It's not easy being neurotic. Ask any author. We all know.
