First of all, thanks to Mason Canyon at the Thoughts in Progress blog for her review of my recent release, Hickory Smoked Homicide. I appreciate it, Mason!
I was talking to another writer the other day and they asked me how I handled the pressure of promo and reviews. I thought about it for a second, then I said, “I write.”
But it wasn’t always that way. After I wrote my first book, I treated it like a child that needed its hand held. I walked it to kindergarten, I anxiously watched what people said about it. Was it being bullied? I worried over it. I was a helicopter parent for the book.
Then I noticed that I kept getting the same advice from the other writers that I knew. “You should write another book.” Some of the writers didn’t even realize they were giving advice. “When’s your next book coming out?” they’d ask. As if that was just the normal approach. It was, actually, an annoying refrain.
I didn’t want to think about the next book. I wanted to focus on the fact that I’d just written a book! It made my head hurt to think about moving on to another one. I wanted to just celebrate my accomplishment.
Since I continued to hear the same advice, though, I wrote another book. I started obsessing over it the same way. At that time, I was trying to move from a regional press to the big guys. I wrote queries and synopses and cover letters, and tracked them carefully. And I wasn’t writing.
I discovered that it was very discouraging to get rejections. That was probably because querying was my sole focus. The rejections really stung. I hated going to my mailbox.
And still I continued to hear the refrain. “So what’s your next book about? What are you writing now?”
Was there no resting on your laurels in this business? Even after a couple of books?
That’s when it all started clicking for me. Write, edit, submit, brainstorm, repeat. That’s the cycle. That’s how we get better, that’s how we start a writing career, that’s how we sustain a writing career–that’s it.
That’s how rejections and reviews won’t sting. We keep writing.
If we write a real stinker? We keep writing, keep improving. We’ll have a better or more successful book the next time. Or the next.
If all our writing dreams are hanging on one or two books, we’ll nurse the dickens out of them. It’s so much better, so much healthier, to keep being creative.
What’s your next book about?
“Write, edit, submit, brainstorm, repeat.” I love this. Structure is what I need to be more productive.
This week I’m goal setting: month- 6 months- year- five years.
Thanks,
Teresa
Elizabeth – It is so important to keep going in that cycle isn’t it? It reminds me a little of a sports team. A baseball team doesn’t disband when it loses a game. The team members get ready for the next game. Same with writing, I think. And what’s my next book about? Some old bones are discovered on the campus where my protagonist teaches…
Oh, Elizabeth, you have no idea how I needed to read this post. I’m not writing much at all and feeling terrible. I’m letting everything else take precedence. Thank you. And good luck with this new launch.
Karen
Elizabeth, all your blog posts are instructive, but this one is so very right on the money.
Great advice! (But it sure is hard to stop hovering over your “first”…)
Yep, that’s what I do. I haven’t had to nurse anything past the submission stage but I look forward to a tiny moment of it – then back to the next one. Probably doesn’t hurt that I have three pots on the stove at once!
And that is what I needed to hear right now!
Love it, Elizabeth. This is so important, and I need to hear it again and again so it will sink in and I’ll finally remember it when I’m spiraling in depression over my latest writing “failure.”
Today, I did this well, by the way. I am in the process of finishing up an eworkbook, and rather than obsessing over it, I edited a poem, wrote a guest post, and contacted freelance clients. Thanks for the encouragement!
So often, with writing advice, you have to learn the same lesson over and over.
But this is one lesson where the more you write, the more you “get” it. I think it’s partly because you just can’t hover over ten books.
Found your post to be very relevant and encouraging. “Write, submit, brainstorm, repeat” I’m going to tack that on my writing wall. Thanks.
There’s never a resting on your laurels, if you want to keep up your level in whatever you do.
Regarding book reviews, it sometimes seams like reviewers are evil and hostile, rahter than giving constructive critique. This always make me feel sorry for the author, who has spent a lot of time on the book.
Cold As Heaven
Journaling Woman–Great! I think setting long-term goals is really, really helpful. Good luck with it!
Margot–A very good analogy! And your next book sounds fascinating! Looking forward to it. :)
Jan–Three pots on the stove! Ha! Unfortunately, I know what you mean. I’ve got a couple on myself right now. It’s a sort of crazy way to write, isn’t it?
Karen–You’ve had a lot going on! And it takes a while to settle back into the routine after a big trip, too.
Alan–Thanks so much! :) Can’t wait to read your next book.
Alex–Good luck with your writing, Alex!
Susan–Oh, it really is. It was like that with my children, too! I still have to remind myself to back off from my first born. Well, actually, he reminds me to back off–since he’s in high school now. :)
H. L. Banks–Thanks! And thanks for coming by. :)
Cold As Heaven–Such a good point. I know several writers who wrote a wonderful first book…then stopped. I hate it, because I’d like to read more from them.
You know, the reviewers on book buying sites are pretty harsh sometimes. The ones who write the gentlest negative reviews are the book bloggers and professional reviewers, I think.
Excellent, excellent advice. And not easy to follow. But then if it were easy, everyone would be doing it.
Thanks Elizabeth.
Wonderful idea. And with more books coming out, readers will get to know us better.
My Darcy Vibrates…
Perfect advice. Someone said, “don’t step over dollars to get dimes.” Without that next book (dollars) all you’re doing is obsessing about the dimes–promo, marketing, reviews, social networking, etc.
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
A helicopter parent? I´d never heard that term before. Nowadays in Denmark we talk about curling parents (sweeping all obstacles away for their offspring).
My next book: well, difficult to say if my Danish novella will win (have nearly finished the first, very rough draft) or “Anna Märklin”, the Danish novel I am translating on days when I am not focused enough to write new stuff.
So true. I used to focus on the current book so much, I could’t think about writing the next until the current one was out and done. But I’m getting better. I can at least write books simultaneously. It’s not until one gets into the pipeline that I get all single-minded.
To answer your question, my next book is about a man who kills ghosts for a living. The working title is ‘Ghostkiller’, although ‘Patchwork Demon’ has raised its head as a contender. I’ve also got my third Tarkas novel and a number of short stories in-process, but this is the one that’s speaking to me most loudly.
Thanks so much for the confirmation. I’m in an uncomfortable waiting period. Don’t like waiting! So I started writing again. HOPEFULLY, I’ll get to the submit step on one novel by the time the next one is ready to revise!
Joe–What I love about your comment is that you’re doing all those *different* things! It’s perfect. I think, also, sometimes I box myself in with genre. It might be good to explore different types of writing, too. Hmm.
The Daring Novelist–It would take up *all* our time to hover over 10 books! I’m exhausted just thinking about it. :)
Helen–It’s not easy, for sure! I just groan over the first blank pages. But then I get caught up in it later on. :)
Enid–And we get new books to our loyal readers while giving new readers a chance to discover us.
Terry–Exactly! Perfectly put!
Author Guy –You’ve always got another project in the works! Writing books simultaneously gets me a little confused sometimes (especially with different series), but it’s better if I’m editing one and writing another.
Dorte–I think it’s a sort of new term (maybe the last couple of years?) It’s a hovering parent. I see so many of them, too!
I’m excited about your new book!!
Marji–I’m awful at waiting, too. The nice thing about writing while waiting is that you get this sense that you’re getting ahead while killing time. It’s very nice. :)
ahh, such a great point, and such good advice. I too get hung up on the waiting and the rejections when what really makes me happiest is forgetting all that and writing something new. Thanks for the reminder. :o) <3