I Didn’t Need Years to Write My Book, There Was Just No Pressure to Produce
For anyone trying to create, there is a frustrating “getting started tax.” A long stretch where you’re pondering, dreaming, learning, wondering, chickening out, starting, stopping, slowing, quitting, getting fired back up and doubting yourself before you ever bring something to market.
For me, writing a book was never a whim. I wanted it my whole life.
I was born to write. I journaled. I went to school for Creative Writing (though I didn’t graduate with that degree designation). I started and stopped novels before I completed one. When I finally completed one, I stuck it in the drawer. And then finally, by sheer force of will I produced my debut novel.
It took years. Years and years and years. But it didn’t have to.
If you’re driven to write or create anything, often getting that “first” out there takes years. That’s normal and was certainly my journey, but it didn’t really have to be. And it definitely doesn’t have to be now.
No Pressure
While there is something fundamentally pure and delightful in creating without external expectations, it can also be a little too comfortable. Shy of my few family members who knew I wanted to publish a book and knew I was always “working on it” there wasn’t a line around the corner waiting for my book.
And perhaps, that’s good to some degree. Creation under pressure can irritate an already uncertain process. But sometimes, pressure is good.
In order to push myself to truly finish and produce a final product, I had to book an editor before I was 100% ready. I had to create a deadline in order to get myself to “the end.” There is a fine line between creative exploration and dawdling and I was tightrope walking on it.
For my second book, I had learned a lot. I felt more confident. But again, I had to give myself a deadline. Though there were a couple more people anxious to read my sophomore novel, I’m still not met with major demand. I didn’t want it to come out any more than a year after its predecessor, but I was still inching along until I booked my editor again.
By nature, I’m a procrastinator. A good one, but a procrastinator nonetheless. So without someone else depending on me to complete something, I can easily put it off. And I fear, that until I truly have a large collection of fans harassing me for the next book… I may always need to generate an external deadline to finish my work.
Identifying the Dilly Dally
Now, I’m not advocating that method for everyone. Some people don’t perform well under pressure. But if you’re someone who can’t seem to complete a project, even though it’s what you want more than anything in the world, here are a few ways to identify if you need a self-generated deadline:
You don’t make a regular effort to produce
You start new projects without ever finishing old ones
You’re letting fear dictate when, what and how you create
You’re going on a decade or more of “trying”
You spend more time learning and prepping and planning than actually doing
I have been guilty of every one of the above issues. EV-ER-Y ONE!
So I had to bring some brute force to the table. I booked my editor to set my deadline. I put my book up for pre-order before it was 100% finished after being edited. I told people my pub date and gave myself NO OTHER CHOICE.
If you want this, it doesn’t have to take years. It’s okay if it has, but if you’re tired of waiting (like I was) then it’s time to add a little heat and personal stock to the equation. A little outside influence doesn’t hurt either. So whether you declare your deadline to your Instagram followers, enroll yourself in a program designed to assist you in producing a novel in a short amount of time, go all. You might surprise yourself.