with Karen M Davis
Writing to a deadline can be very scary indeed. Some people
thrive on pressure but I'm not one of them. I don't like pressure at all and if
I get behind in my writing schedule I worry... about everything. I can become
overwhelmed with the task ahead of me and that's not a good thing - for me, or
anyone.
So to avoid pressure I try to be organised; to allow myself
plenty of time for the unexpected so hopefully there's no need for panic as the deadline
draws closer. Of course this is easier said than done. Life has a habit of
getting in the way. We have to deal with kids, family, housework,
work and social commitments, sickness, computer meltdowns, and the list goes
on.
I remember Belinda Alexandra, a very successful author, once
said to me that there is a huge difference between just "playing around "with
your book and hoping it gets published, to actually being published, and then wearing
the expectation to produce another work of art as good, or hopefully better,
than the last - and all in a set time frame.
I could relate to her words as I'd just signed a two-book
deal with Simon and Schuster. Sinister
Intent, my first novel, had taken me over four years of "playing
around" to write, and the only pressure to complete it was of my own doing.
Now I was contracted and my second novel, Deadly
Obsession, was due in nine months. The pressure was on and I felt it...
I wrote day and night constantly feeling guilty that I was neglecting my family,
while worrying I wouldn't finish on time and that it wouldn't be good enough.
As it turned out I had to ask for a month extension, which
was no problem for them, and then it was done... Big sigh of relief.
So what did I learn from that experience? Well I suppose I
learned to just keep writing. Finish one story and start the next so I have a
head start.
I am currently writing my third crime fiction novel and my
deadline is June. Since this is the third in the series of "Lexie Rogers
books" many of the characters are the same, therefore I'm having to
constantly read over my first two books, checking details to ensure continuity.
This is time consuming so I'm trying to allot a minimum of so many hours "writing
time" a day. Some days it might be
one hour, others four, depending on other commitments. I don't count words as many
writers do because I'm not always writing, sometimes I'm researching, revising,
editing. School holidays has hindered my schedule. As much as I love my family I find it hard to
concentrate with a house full of teenagers and a husband off work, so February
is going to be busy. I want to be well and truly in front of my deadline to
avoid last minute panic.
Do you work well under pressure, or are you more like me and
need plenty of time to get it just right?
I love to love chocolateI love to learn new things
I love to laugh at anything
