The month of January has been drastically shortened. The Indie Life bloghop (2nd Wednesday of the month) and the IWSG bloghop (Insecure Writers Support Group, 1st Wednesday of the month) fall on the same day! We apparently lost a week.
I was thinking of doing dueling bloghops, but I didn't want to go to that much work. I'm lazy that way.
In the last year I have put out four books (or 3 1/2, depending on your POV). I get about one to two purchases per month, which isn't too bad. All of my books have paid their expenses, so I'm ahead of the game. Technically.
With each book I put out the process is more streamlined and I know what to do, and yet each book is just as nerve wracking as the last. What if I make a mistake? What if the book isn't ready? What if I missed some egregious plot hole?
I think "what if" is the author's worst enemy. Since I do my books electronic only (except for the first one--I do learn from my mistakes) I can fix any errors I find. I can update cover art, correct spelling, punctuation and grammar, and if I wanted to I could even add scenes or characters. Don't want to, and don't think that's necessary or I wouldn't have put the books out, but still it's possible. Once in print that's a little more difficult.
And yet my brain insists on running these "what if" disaster scenarios and insisting that I'm stupid just to go in this direction. Slow down, it tells me, settle down and get a nice steady job so it can relax and not have to think all the time.
Bleh.
The brain: a writer's best frenemy.
Ah, what if . . . it can be a fun game, or a paralyzing nightmare.
ReplyDeleteI think you've got the right approach. Reserve the right to make small editorial changes, but avoid the temptation to add scenes or characters.
If that character really wants their story told, they need to ask for their own book. :)
DeleteThat's great that you can update your work on your platform. For me, having that option would mean that my work would never be 100% complete for I am a chronic go-back-and-correct-my-writing kind of a writer.
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting my blog earlier today.
I just have to control that impulse. Once it's out, it's out. I let myself make the little changes.
DeleteI have lists of 'what if' and more in my head. If only I knew the answers.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I find an answer it just leads to more questions
DeleteThe "What if" Game ... a sport as old as time. I tend to find myself stressing more than I need to when I play that game, but then I read the manuscript again and feel better about after a few tweaks. :)
ReplyDeleteTweaks are good, but I try to get them out of my system before I publish! :)
DeleteHi Lauren,
ReplyDeleteIt is such long process writing a novel, or so it seems to me, who has not yet succeeded in finishing my first novel. And the competition to get approved for publication so fierce. In many of the how-to books, the beginning writer is warned and advised to not send a manuscript out too early. It should be tweaked to perfection. So the notion of perfection is drummed into the beginning writer.
But after that, there is no stopping your inner critic and the need to improve your writing. At one point you just have to take your hands away from your story -- when it is printed! And use those lessons learned on the next novel.
Hope I get there. Congratulations to you for reaching your goal!
Best wishes,
Anna
P.S. I like the name of your blog, Eclectic!
Anna's IWSG for January 2014
It's good to have the option to push that Edit button. Half of my blogs I have to go back in and fix things I didn't see in the rough stage. But not having to is more satisfying. Thanks for the blog message.
ReplyDeleteLeanne ( http://readfaced.wordpress.com/ )
Putting 4 books out is a great accomplishment for last year. I hope you've celebrated your success!
ReplyDeleteFunny how the first "What if?" ignites a promising tale, a few more "What ifs" add great plot and characters and then those final "What ifs" wreak havoc on our nerves and confidence.
ReplyDeleteIt's a pain in the neck, but I'm doing what I love. It's all worth it.
Delete