Since April, when I got new accounts for "L.X. Cain" on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, etc., I've been doing more than I can handle. Besides writing/revising my novel, I got frenzied building new social media networks, and I worked on 3 short stories -- revising and updating them, creating covers, formatting, pubbing them, and doing lots of promos. I got so busy I completely gave up TV and rarely went outside. (Don't even ask about my personal hygiene.)
When all I do is hurry, hurry, hurry, I tend to lose perspective and start making mistakes. One of the biggest was being determined to pub my novel in Oct, which meant I had to finish the first draft in July, leaving Aug and Sept for revisions, beta and CP feedback, and more revisions.
Although Oct is a great month to sell horror stories, I was forgetting all the work and planning that go into releases. When MuseItUp released SOUL CUTTER in Dec 2013, I started going after book bloggers and reviewers in September. It takes them that long to put your book in their queue and then review it.
This week I'm celebrating coming to my senses!
I want to put out a great book, not a fast book. And that will take as long as it takes until I'm satisfied it's the very best I can do.
Do you work better under pressure -- or do you end up getting over-anxious and forgetting things?
My kind and wonderful co-hosts of Celebrate the Small Things are:
L.G. Keltner @ Writing Off The Edge
Tonja Drecker @ Kidbits Blog
Celebrate The Small Things Linky:
Grab the Linky html-code here:
Foxy's Friday Freebies!
Foxy has been nosing around the net.
When she finds great FREE STUFF, she'll feature it on Fridays Freebies posts -
- Free short stories, novellas, and novels
- Giveaways for books and swag
- Free services for authors
Here are Foxy's suggestions for Aug 7, 2015:
Free $50 Amazon Gift Card – to celebrate the release of Welcome to Fat Chance Texas (RomCom/Women’s fiction) by Celia Bonaduce, she’s giving away a $50 Amazon card via rafflecopter on the Juniper Grove Book Solutions blog. (ends Aug 23)
For Foxy's other Freebies, go to the Freebie page.
If anyone has a FREE short story (for download or online at a free ezine), novella, novel, special giveaway, or author service, please let Foxy know so she can plug you here! Write to: laura.6eg(at)gmail.com
43 comments:
It sounds like you've been crazy busy! Quality is the most important thing of all when it comes to putting out a book. Good luck with everything!
For the newspaper articles I work better under pressure, but if its a book then I get over anxious and tend to forget things under pressure. For books I need my own sweet time!!
Smart move! Give yourself time. Do you want it to come out with a bang or a whisper? Besides, no need to make yourself nuts trying to stick to such a crazy schedule.
Crazy busy makes you crazier. Good you came to your senses. I had to do the same. Enjoy the weekend.
I'm so like you Lexa. I have in the past gotten ahead of myself and rushed the process only to deeply regret it afterwards. Now, I try to take a step back and weigh up pros and cons before pressing the publish button.
Time has a way of making us think it's finite, that we need to be ahead of it. Wrong. Be the snail not the hare! :)
shahwharton.com
I know what you mean. I did the crazy thing of publishing two books at once and putting together a month long book tour. This time I survived, but it's taking quite a lot of rest and relaxation to recover. :-)
I don't do badly under pressure, but I'm highly focused and everything else suffers because of it. It's nice to finish a project and breath, but a full break can be even better. I agree, social media responsibilities can really drive you batty.
Have a great weekend!
Hello, greetings and best wishes to you!
YESSS...I get so overwhelmed and anxious and it does not help AT ALL :( "I want to put out a great book, not a fast book. And that will take as long as it takes until I'm satisfied it's the very best I can do." THIS. a thousand times this. My new MS is teaching me this b/c I tend to rush but the longer I'm taking, the better off it's going to be :)
Sounds like you have "accomplished" quite a bit in your short break... glad that you burden of "Stress" has passed... many authors will take a bit of a break and work a bit on another book or Story that they have had "on the back burners" just just to "get away" from their current writing
... then return later bak to the task that upset you in the first place... and, with a "fresh start" continue with your mind not as Stressed"...
We do wish you the best , dear Lady Lexa...
a very pleasant weekend to you and yours....
Thanks for featuring my novel, Lexa. I work best under pressure too. I actually spent June visiting my children, but July I worked like a bugger. Can't believe how much I accomplished when I set my mind to it. Your schedule made my head spin. Not a pretty sight.
Sometimes setting deadlines can be motivating, sometimes crazy-making. But taking care of yourself is pretty important to being able to continue to create. Burnout can lead to unproductive years. Glad to hear you've taken some time for YOU!
I'm at the point where you were — trying to do too many things and getting stressed. I need to take a step back, but I haven't quite figured out how I'm going to do that yet. I'm glad you've de-stressed. I've been burned out before, and it is not fun. Getting your book done in its own time is the best decision you can make. Good luck with it!
Sorry I skipped my celebration today - I already had two posts that had to go live. It's feast or famine.
Sounds like you're having a great week. Good for you! All your hard work pays off, as it should.
Glad to hear that you've relaxed! Writing frenzies leave life a mess (*cough* household, kids, bills). I only do them when I have to -- I think my family would kill me if it got too constant. And yay to realizing that a good story is way better than a timely one. Readers forgive lateness but not a bad book.
I know how you feel about rushing things. I've learnt over time to slow down. The dreaded FOMO is banned... we want to do it all and we forget we don't need to. Enjoy the flow. Happy weekend.
I definitely like to go slowly on things. I don't do my best work under pressure.
There's no point rushing just because you set yourself a deadline. Self-imposed deadlines can be flexible and there's no point rushing to get finished because you won't end up with the best possible book. Take your time and do it right.
Glad you had a well deserved break so now you're refreshed. Hope you can relax on the weekend and have fun.
I think I am more creative when I have no deadline. So, my first draft is done when it's done, however long it takes. But, I give myself revision deadlines afterwards. But again, they're my own deadlines, so if I don't reach my milestones in time, I just move the date. :-D
Tanya Miranda - Writer, Dreamer, Intergalactic Superhero
Glad to hear you've de-stressed! I have the same problem where if I set too tight a deadline, I spend more time panicking than actually working. This is why I pre-draft my books months in advance, just in case any disasters happen in edits and I need that extra time to polish. It's easy to get overwhelmed with promotion, too, but there's only so much one person can do!
Deadlines have always helped me focus and finish projects. Without them, I tend to leave thing incomplete.
Pressure in small amounts can be helpful, but for the most part, I don't do well with it. And if I have to choose between quality and speed, quality wins for sure.
Good for you, Lexa, for coming to your senses :) and discovering what works best for you. Your break was just what you needed to rest and evaluate your life. Sometimes, I think we forget what's truly important.
I do not do well under pressure at all. That's why it takes me years, sometimes, to write a story. No kidding. If I try to set a deadline, I get frustrated and afraid I won't reach it, which I seldom do.
Everyone's different. And that's a good thing. I'm proud of you and what you've accomplished.
Good for you for taking a step back and realizing that slow and steady wins the race. I think some pressure is good for us but if we wait too long or heap too much on our shoulders then we begin to make silly mistakes or forget things. If we do the latter, we then need to realize we have to step back a bit. You made the right decision
So glad the few days off has helped... I find time away always clears my head:)
For a long time I thought I worked better under pressure, especially deadline pressure. Now that I am not so well, I don't do well under pressure or stress, so I have been avoiding it.
Sometimes I do work better under pressure. If the pressure goes on too long, though, I start balking and have to take a break. I'm pushing a deadline for a rewrite, and am up to chapter 17, but then took a day to run errands, and it felt so good to get away from it! Now I'm ready to take on the next 9 chapters.
One thing about being traditionally published--you don't have to stress about picking your pub date. I don't even KNOW mine! It says two come out in summer 2016...but I don't know the months. You know how I'll find out? I'll see it on Amazon!
I work well under pressure, but at the same time I know I need to slow down so I have adequate time to plan.
Ha! I love the pug images, and am so glad the break has helped ♥
Welcome back! I've been on a blogging semi-hiatus since June, and I've missed visiting the blogosphere.
It feels good to connect with blog buddies after a long absence, doesn't it?
I think we've all had those 'coming to our senses' moments. I often tell my kids, "Do it nice or do it twice." At times, I have to take my own advice.
I work with deadlines, but I give myself enough cushion so I don't have to rush a finished product. Best of luck and thanks for mentioning the giveaway on my blog!
Great to hear that the break did the trick! As to working under pressure, is there another way? I always feel that someone or something is one step behind me. Must be the horror stories I've been reading lately. :-)
I'll email you about a couple of giveaways. Thanks, Lexa.
Congratulations on coming to your senses, as you put it. I think I need to follow your lead and take some time out.
Wow, you sound super busy! I'm always amazed at people who can do so much in such a short amount of time. You are definitely one of those amazing people - in more ways than one. :)
So glad you're de-stressing! Promo is a lot of hard work. More so than the writing, in my opinion.
Hahaha, yesssss, let's ALL celebrate coming to our senses.
I am glad that you are not stressed any more.
I like to plan and if I have not planned I do stress out and that is no good for me.
I work well under pressure, but not when I'm rushed...if that makes any sense :) I'm glad you are slowing it down a bit...doing something right is better than doing it fast!
Love that you've kept Celebrate the Small Things alive. You're doing a super job with it. And about that chapter! Here's my pat on the back for that one.
Yikes, that really is hot. Even when we lived in Fl, it wasn't as hot as that.
I hope it cools off soon. Yes, definitely Yay for the air conditioning!
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