How a trip to Disney World is a lot like getting published.

A few weeks ago we took a family trip to Disney World. Considering my two kids started a countdown back when we still had seventy-plus days to go, I think it’s safe to say they were excited. And since they now claim everything about the trip was totally epic, I think it’s safe to say the trip was a success.

In fact, here’s a few pictures of my kids having a blast.

Okay, maybe not having a blast. Maybe more like discovering what spending time at the happiest place on earth entails—heat, long lines, heat, lots and lots of walking, sudden rainstorms, more long lines, and HEAT.

Yet if you ask them, they’ll still swear everything about the trip was totally epic! Why? Because they’re remembering the rides. The thrills. The shows. The fireworks. The excitement. Not the waiting. The disappointments. The fatigue. Or even the tears—and believe me, there were tears.

After experiencing it all, I can’t help thinking going to Disney is a lot like getting published. You go into it feeling fresh and excited. The thought of someday seeing your book on a shelf at a bookstore feels like the happiest place on earth. You step into the “publishing park” full of joy because you’re only thinking of the thrills ahead.

Enter a contest? Oh, definitely want to do that ride. Go to a conference? For sure. That’s your chance to meet agents and editors, which is a bit like meeting your favorite Disney characters, right? Get a publishing contract, absolutely!

But it doesn’t take long to discover that navigating your way through this world of publication takes time. Patience. It, too, is full of long lines. And waiting. Lots and lots of waiting. Entering a contest can take months of waiting just to hear a result. And sometimes that result stinks. Sort of like waiting to see The Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular only to find out right as the show starts that they won’t be able to perform all of it because of an oncoming storm.

It was tempting to think we’d wasted our time. But you know what? The kids loved what little they saw, and it made them hunger to come back when we could see the rest of the show. Which we were able to do . . . later. After more waiting. Just like entering a writing contest again for better results . . . later. After more waiting.

Other times in publishing you find yourself wondering if the wait is going to be worth it. Like our last night when we stood in line for the Guardians of the Galaxy ride. I use the term line loosely because it didn’t feel like a line. It felt more like standing at Times Square on New Year’s Eve. And for the record, the last place on earth I ever want to be is Times Square on New Year’s Eve.

I don’t consider myself an anxious person, but getting crammed into a room, shoulder-to-shoulder with strangers, only to get shuffled into another room where you stand even more crammed together, with flashing red lights and no hint of moving forward, well . . . let’s just say maybe I should start considering myself an anxious person. I wanted out of there!

This is so not worth it. That’s all I could think. I don’t even know who the Guardians of the Galaxy are. What am I doing here? Never again. This is awful. Where’s the exit? Can I get to the exit? I don’t think I can get to the exit. Oh Lord, I can’t get to the exit. This is where I die.

I’m happy to say we did make it onto the ride—without dying. And you guys . . . it was amazing. The whole time I was torn between screaming with delight because the ride was so stinking fun, and screaming in agony because, should I ever make it back to Disney World, I knew I’d be willing to go through that whole terrible ordeal of a line just to experience this ride again.  

Which once again reminds me of publishing. How many times have I been tempted to take the nearest exit and forget the whole thing because in that moment it felt awful? How many times have I thought I’d die before I ever made it to a goal that I wasn’t even sure would be worth it?

Well, thank goodness I’ve stuck with it. It’s turned out to be a ride that is totally worth it.

But a week at Disney World has also reminded me that thrills, whether in an amusement park or on the path to publication, are always short-lived. The adrenaline and excitement eventually wears off, and at the end of the day, the rides or accomplishments don’t really matter.

What matters is having people you love willing to sweat it out and stand in terrible lines right next to you, wherever life leads. When you have that, it doesn’t matter how long or miserable the wait is. Or how exciting and fun the ride is. The journey to get there will always be worth it. Or as my kids would say—totally epic!