Surviving your dream
By Ann Aguirre | October 13, 2010 |
Today, I am feeling incredibly good. Why? Because at the start of the summer, I honestly didn’t know how I was going to balance my workload with my family life and emerge on the other side with my sanity intact. This summer, I was on the road in the US for three weeks, and four days after I got home, I went to Peru. During that time, I also wrote 1.5 novels, and a short story. I had deadlines that struck me as crazy — and that’s saying something.
Now maybe, in the abstract, that doesn’t sound like so much. Trust me, it was. To complicate matters, I write better at home. When I travel, I have a hard time focusing. Traveling, for me, is usually about networking and having fun, so I’m not in a work place in my head. But when you’re gone for three weeks, you have to try. So I did, and each word written was a personal victory.
So now, I’m out of the white water rapids and into the slow, smooth shallows, watching the world go by. On September 11, I turned in a novel. Last night, I turned in the second novel. Today, I turned in my short story. That means I’ve beat the odds and finished all my work on time, despite all the extracurricular stuff I had going on. I’m unspeakably elated because honestly, this time, I had my doubts. What if I’ve finally done it, overcommitted to the point that I’m not going to be able to finish all my work by deadline? I’ve never been late, you see. And I still haven’t. I take pride in that.
Other writers I see saying deadlines don’t matter. Editors understand. Maybe they do, but I don’t feel secure enough to test it. I figure if I’m not willing to give this dream 150%, there’s a hungry young writer coming up behind me, eager to take my place. And that’s never going to happen, hard as I fought to get here.
However. (And you knew this was coming, didn’t you?) I have learned a valuable lesson. Just because I can work as hard as I did this summer (and fall), that doesn’t mean I want to make a habit of it. There’s a difference between success and desperation, being afraid not to sell everything you can in a single year because in two years, they might not think you’re pretty anymore. It’s important to know yourself, know your abilities, and gauge exactly how much work is enjoyable for you. Because that’s kind of important, right? We love to write, or we wouldn’t pursue this dream. But we don’t want pure delight turning into drudgery. So that’s when an accurate ability to analyze your own abilities becomes crucial.
Here are some tools to help figure that out, if you don’t already know. What’s your ideal word count, written in a day, if all factors align? What’s the minimum you can produce, if your world goes pearshaped? Come up with a median based on these two factors. How many days do you like to write in a week? How long will your book be when it’s finished? Using these numbers, calculate then how long it should take you to finish your book. I always build in revision time when I’m working out my schedule, so my personal deadline will be a month to two weeks earlier than my actual book deadline. Once you’ve worked all that out, you should have some idea how many books you can write in a year. It might be one… or less than one. And that’s fine. It’s all very personal, but you should safeguard your schedule in a way that writing remains your dream job, not a nightmare that came true.
I rather doubt I’ll be committing to so many projects in a single year again, even if I’ve proved it’s possible. The stress was incredible. And while I’m proud of myself for meeting my deadlines, I don’t want to juggle so many balls again. Lesson learned!
What lessons have you learned this year, wherever you are in your writing journey?
Photo courtesy Flickr’s jek in the box
Ann Aguirre is a bestselling, multi-published author with a degree in English Literature. She is a prolific writer, with nine releases planned for 2011 alone. She writes romantic science fiction and urban fantasy under her own name. As Ava Gray, she writes high-octane romances. She also writes “hot paranormal apocalyptic action” with fellow author Carrie Lofty under the pseudonymn Ellen Connor. Follow her on Twitter.
Congrats on getting so much done. Deadlines work really well in motivating. I always figure out how many words, how many months and revision time to a projected query time. Of course, I allow flexibility if I need it – at this point!
I think the main thing I have learned is that it doesn’t matter what you’re writing – as long as you’re doing it.
I’ve taken to keeping a blog of my travels and writing in it, and I can already feel the creative juices flowing again. It’s a good feeling.
Holy smokes, that’s incredible. I think I could realistically write a book a year, two tops. But I also think that estimate could change once I’m actually published and I see how that craziness (editorial notes, marketing, etc.) factors in.
What I’ve learned this year is to trust my gut. About my process, about my story, about everything. Still, it’s easier said than done, no? :P
Congrats on being able to work while you’re out of your normal writing routine. I have a lot of trouble with that. Then again, I’m not yet in a position to have anything other than self-imposed deadlines (although I’d love to have to try!)
Terry
Terry’s Place
Romance with a Twist–of Mystery
That’s an incredible amount to accomplish in just a few months. I must second the idea that deadlines really help. I find it hard to focus without them, or without at least setting an internal quota. If I know I have to get something done by a certain time, it gets done, and usually gets done early.
I’ve been learning to trust my first instincts. After reading writing advice, agent blogs, etc., for a while, all the advice can start to mush together in my head, and I can overanalyze my work as I’m producing it. I’ll start thinking that my brilliant idea isn’t so brilliant after all because some agent thinks other ways of approaching the same issue are better. In many cases, this is true, but sometimes you just have to go with your gut instinct if that’s what’s best for the story.
That’s a pretty mind-boggling set of accomplishments, Ann. Congratulations!
I’m still learning what’s normal for me, but I definitely work better for deadlines. To borrow a phrase from Margie Lawson, I try to set them to pinch but not to hurt.
concentration is a constant struggle for me and i find it hard to get into the ‘zone’ when i have too many things going. keeping a daily/weekly task list really has helped me. but it’s hard.
Ann – I’m bowing to you with deep respect. Even if I didn’t have a full time job to negotiate writing with, I could never, ever, write a book in less than, say, 2 years.
Still, your post hits very close to home. Since September I’ve found my day job exploding with a heavier workload than ever before, and have launched a blog that keeps me pretty busy on top of it all. full. Oh, and, I’ve got these two kids… Every day is a marathon to make it to the finish line without dropping a ball. I’m dying to start writing something new, but just don’t see when or how that will fit in at this point. Yet I also love the other things I do. So the title of your post really sums up how it feels: surviving your dream.
How awesome to see what everyone’s learned!
Apart from work load and time management, I’ve also learned it’s important not to compare myself to anyone else. That way lies madness.
One page a day. Honestly, if I could just do that, I’d have a (first draft) book written much faster. Sad, isn’t it? And sometimes starting is the hardest part: You just have to DO IT. (And no, I don’t work for Nike).
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Vanessa Monaghan, Phaze Books. Phaze Books said: #writing Surviving your dream: Today, I am feeling incredibly good. Why? Because at the start of the summer, I hon… https://bit.ly/b8Fgp4 […]
WOW! Ok, I feel like a slacker next to you :).
For me I did find out that when push comes to shove- I can write far faster (and with decent results) than I thought. I also found I can complete more projects at the same time than I thought ;). I pushed myself/got pushed more than I ever have this past year- and I not only survived but grew from it :).
I learned to not baby myself and that pushing myself can sometimes turn out great results :)
Thanks for this post Ann- it was great!
[…] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Max Kazen, Sharon Bially. Sharon Bially said: Surviving your dreams: making it all work & preserving your sanity, by @ann_aguirre, WriterUnboxed https://bit.ly/dbI3J9 #amwriting […]
Congratulations for accomplishing so much! I respond well to deadlines but prefer a less stressful daily pace. I entered a couple contests this summer and learned that I can write on topics even during moments when I’m not feeling enthused by them. It’s that BICHOK thing, butt-in-chair, hands-on-keyboard — I can sit down and get the job done when I have to.
Great article. I’ve learned the hard way that you can miss deadlines and still survive, but it’s not something I necessarily want to repeat!
I’ve also learned that there’s a sweet spot between pushing yourself out of your comfort zone, and frying yourself in burnout. I think that taking time for self-care is just as crucial as holding yourself accountable.
For me, it has been a year of small steps. After almost years of scheduled days, it has been a renewing experience to set directions in writing and to pursue pathways with writing and reading about many different but related topics.
Great that you made it through such a demanding time!
Patricia
https://pmpoetwriter.blogspot.com/
I think the biggest lesson any writer can learn is not to over-extend themselves out of fear. I did that in 2003 and gave myself writer’s block for eight months. Not pretty. I still fight my natural inclination to accept whatever comes my way, but that urge is happening less and less now that other opportunities are opening up for writers.
Great points! It’s so helpful to read what other writers have learned along the way.