writer, teacher, traveler, and lazy gardener
I’m thrilled to announce Love Match will be available early October for Kindle and in paperback. Chapter 1 is online now to tantalize, entice and have you craving for more! So if you’re a fan of romantic comedies, hijinks, rock ‘n’ roll, San Francisco—even revenge plots—check it out.
Writing deadlines are no fun. They can be crazy-making and cause your entire life outside of writing as fast as you can to grind to a stop. Now this post isn’t directed at journalists who thrive on the deadline rush. They’re a whole other breed, and I salute their stamina. It’s really a note to myself and to writers out there inclined to get freaked out while under the deadline gun.
Now I’ve written under deadlines for years. For the most part I’ve handled the task with minimal stress. I love the challenge of meeting a goal and, hopefully, doing a job well done. All that changed with a recent writing gig. It was a lot of work on a super tight deadline involving multiple stories on different topics, interviewing people for quotes and scrambling for photos. I had five days to do all this and edit several others writers’ work, who were also part of the project.
This assignment caused me to work myself up into an anxiety tornado. I cleared my calendar, let other responsibilities lapse, including marketing for the release of my upcoming book and other client work. When I wasn’t writing at Mach speed, I ran around the house like my hair was on fire. Can I mix in any more metaphors? Absolutely! Essentially, I made myself nuts. I met the deadline, but after it was over I had to take stock. Why did I do this to myself? I had never missed a deadline before. Sure this one was an extreme challenge, but there was absolutely no need for the self-created stress.
Next time I confront a killer deadline (one’s coming down the pike already!), I’ll remind myself of the following things. If you’re in the same situation, hopefully, these tips will help you, too.
Don’t panic
I remember hearing an interview with the amazing composer, Danny Elfman. He admitted putting himself through the same hell on every project he scores: doubting he’ll finish in time and thinking his compositions suck. He makes magic for every movie he works on so clearly, none of his insecurities are founded. Now, I’m certainly not comparing myself to a genius like Mr. Elfman. I get that panicking can be part of the motivational process. The key is not letting panic be the engine that drives the entire effort. A sense of urgency gets the work done. Too much is wasted energy, which is better spent on writing. Take comfort knowing you’ve succeeded in the past.
Schedule your time
Look at your deadline and work backwards. Figure out what you can accomplish in how many days and plan accordingly. Breaking the work into smaller, doable chunks won’t seem as daunting.
Sit your ass down and write
As long as you do this, the job will get done. Procrastinating will only prolong the agony. So stop web cruising and liking every goofy photo on Facebook. You’re a writer for God’s sake. This is what you love to do, so get cracking.
Pace yourself
Incorporate breaks as much as you can: take a walk, meditate for ten minutes, call a friend. (Friends can also help talk you down from the ledge.) Getting out of the writing headspace gives your mind time to recharge. And don’t forgo exercise. It’s easy to do when in a crunch. Exercise relieves stress, gets blood flowing into areas that have been hunched over a computer and gives you an energy boost. Every time I squeeze in a yoga class or workout I’m reinvigorated. The added energy helps me make it through the late nights.
Got your own deadline writing tips? Please share! I can always use more.
The proof copies of my novel Love Match arrived the other day. The delivered package had been unceremoniously set into a planter by the front door. I wasn’t aware it was there until a visiting friend pointed it out. I immediately tore into the box and beheld the proofs. After all the writing, rewriting and learning how to format the ebook and paperback (all of which I undertook myself), it was a surreal and exhilarating moment. But that feeling of accomplishment wore off quickly because I saw what wasn’t working in the proof copy.
CreateSpace Book Options
First, a few things about self-publishing with Amazon’s CreateSpace. Stylistic options are limited. You have the choice of a glossy or matte finish cover and cream or white interior paper. However, there are a variety of book sizes to choose from. CreateSpace provides templates to help you format your book with the right margins, gutters, headers and footers. The parameters can get a little complicated if you’re using lots of photos, drawings and creating oversized coffee-table type books. My book is simply text, so I only had to be mindful of correcting glaring orphans and widows. Text had to be condensed and expanded appropriately so it looked uniform and readable on the page. This was picky and time-consuming work. For an obsessive like me, I totally got into this process.
Physical Book vs. Digital Copy
The proof’s cover looked amazing. The colors were true and vibrant. The proportions of the artwork and design felt modern and in keeping with the tone of the story. The size was comfortable in my hand and it had the heft of well, a real book. I cracked it open. While the Garamond font was easy on the eyes and readable, the cream pages I had chosen felt wrong. I had also used a leaf as a section break. That looked weird too. This interior combo looked antiquated and off-kilter with my modern vibe. Reviewing the book’s digital copy was great for picking up oddball formatting issues. The hardcopy proof enabled me to see how all the elements worked together; I never would’ve known what worked and didn’t if I had just relied on the digital proof. So I’ll make some changes and generate another one. The lesson here is don’t skimp when it comes to ordering your proof. You don’t want any surprises when your book goes into production. Fortunately, they are inexpensive to produce.
How to Review Your Proof
In addition to considering the look and feel of your book proof, CreateSpace suggests you:
Guess what I’m doing this weekend? More reviewing! The self-publishing journey continues.
What happens when a professional matchmaker can't make her own match?
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