I turned a book in on June 1st and I’ve been in “deadline detox” mode ever since.
True confession: I love my job, but I’m not a fan of deadlines.
Nonetheless, deadlines are a fact of life for the traditionally published author. The contracts we’re fortunate to be offered often span 3+ books and our upcoming deadlines are written into those contracts. So it’s not unusual for us to commit to write novels years before those novels are actually due. Then it’s up to us to transfer our nebulous story ideas from our imaginations onto the page.
Have you seen this cartoon depiction of an author’s timeline?
It’s definitely not in my nature to procrastinate all the work “while crying” to the weeks leading up to a deadline. So I work on my rough draft steadily for months. Once I finish the rough draft, I give myself two full months to rewrite my manuscript before my deadline.
Even so, this past April and May were challenging for me for a few reasons.
#1: Pressure. Readers, do you remember what homework felt like? Can you recall the last time you had a huge report or term paper hanging over your head? A deadline imposes a silent but heavy pressure. No matter what I was doing in April and May — making dinner, driving car pool, attending elementary school Field Day — the work I needed to do on my manuscript was weighing on me. The thought, I should be writing, was always at the back of my mind. Deadlines = stress and stress isn’t a creative muse’s best friend.
#2: Book Release Activity. True to You released May 2nd and I sincerely wanted to support it as much as I could. Thus, I was grappling with a long To Do list concerning True to You right when the deadline pressure for my new manuscript was most intense.
Here’s a glance back at my month of May…
The book launch party for True to You at Barnes & Noble.
Chatting with readers, family, and friends was the best part of the night! This is Shelley, one of my most faithful readers, and her daughter.
With Sarah and Mary Beth, two of my friends from church.
I spoke at a local writer’s conference on the topic of Extreme Survival Skills for Writers (how to combat discouragement, doubt, comparison, and stress with scripture) and felt like I was preaching to myself the whole time.
I went on a 2-night deadline getaway with my husband in mid-May so that I could write in a quiet setting where dirty dishes and dirty laundry couldn’t eyeball me all day long.
His Highness and I, sneaking in a restaurant dinner during the deadline getaway.
I visited my three local LifeWays to chat with employees and sign books for their customers.
Same writer feet, different view! My sister invited our family to spend Memorial day weekend at her place in central Texas. While my kids played with her kids, I wrote. And wrote.
Me, trying to enjoy the moment and kick the I should be writing thoughts to the curb for a bit.
The last day before my deadline, I tanked up with scripture and prayer, as always. Then added in a few huge glasses of iced tea for good measure.
You’d think that a writer would be able to bounce back immediately after surviving a deadline, right? All that euphoria! So energizing! And I do experience a rush of euphoria after hitting “send” on a manuscript. However, right after that, I mostly feel drained.
For me, the deadline detox process takes about a week. During that time I’m sloughing off all the busy-ness and tension and remembering how to slow down and take deep breaths and rest. I’m also catching up on all the stuff I put off — like hair cuts, groceries, returning library books, and a trip to the post office.
I’m just now feeling like myself again. And right on time. It’s summer! Every year, I schedule an entire month off of writing during the summer so that I can vacation with my family while my creative well fills back up drop by drop.
Through the Lord’s provision, and only through His provision, I’ve survived another deadline. Whew. Amen! Yikes. That was hard. I now have ten not-crazy months to look forward to before the very-crazy months of April and May return.
Have you accomplished a big project of some kind lately? Did it take you awhile to “detox” afterward? What are your best get-your-groove-back tips?
Becky Wade
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Becky, you sound like someone I would like to know. God bless you for your sweet spirit. I see His love radiating from your face. I am a former teacher who stayed home to raise my children, and then went back to work substitute teaching. I often do long term jobs for people on medical or maternity leave. When I do, the job consumes me. So when I am done, to “detox,” I go to the library and check out books I have been wanting to read. I also get books occasionally on my Nook when they are free or on sale. I will admit, I probably spend too much time reading, but it does seem to restore my sanity. lol
Yes! Reading is the very best way to “detox”, isn’t it? It forces you to slow down and be still and it gives your mind a vacation to a different place and to different people’s cares and loves and worries.
Congrats on making another deadline, Becky. I know a lot of readers will be thankful for your perseverance. 🙂
I do pretty well when it comes to staying on target for my main project until they start throwing all the little mini projects in the way. Like: we need catalog copy, title ideas, series title ideas, blog posts for the new release, galleys, rewrites, ack! My biggest relief comes not necessarily after turning in a manuscript, but after the last round of edits finishes so I finally focus on just one project instead of 2-3.
Enjoy your writing-free month!
The mini-projects! Exactly. And you’re right. It’s tricky to continually shift gears between 2-3 projects. It’s lovely to focus in on one novel because that allows you to “keep your head in” the actions and emotions of the story world.
After reading the perfection that is “True To You”, you deserve a detox break! Happily, my detox begins in less than 24 hours as I head to the beach for a week…YAHOO! I hope you enjoy your family vakay time and look forward to reading the rewards of your full creative well :-).
Girly aside and totally off topic: The dress you have on at the Barnes & Noble book launch is A.Dor.Able. Felt like it needed to be said.
Have a fabulous time at the beach, Amy!
Thanks for complimenting the dress I wore to the book launch. It’s made of a wonderfully light and stretchy fabric so not only is the pattern fun… but it’s COMFORTABLE. !!
Perfectly stated! I know all of those feelings well, though my writing is not in novel formats. The day after brain-fog…Wish I could have been at your conference session! Enjoy your summer. 🙂
I love that we writers can relate so well to one another! Talking about our common ground makes the journey so much less lonely.
No I haven’t, the beauty of being retired.
But wow, what writers go through! I do enjoy your books and hope I can one day meet you!
Yes! I’d love to meet you in person, Gail.
Congratulations Becky! My deadline always comes 3weeks after Christmas. I feel just like you. I wish I could relax and enjoy the holiday but the pressure is always there. Right now I’m trying to write on gorgeous summer days knowing the beach is a 5 minute walk from here. But I still love my job.
I still love my job, too. One day, I’d love to live 5 minutes from the beach! As you can see from my ‘writing’ pictures in this post, I prefer to work outdoors whenever the weather allows. If I could, I’d write at the beach every day. 🙂