[private]
If you are reading this, you are on a very small custom filter I’ve created. This is basically a filter for when I don’t mind feedback but don’t want to put something out there for the entire world to read. Consequently, there are only two or three people on this filter I have not met IRL and there are about the same number whom I have known less than ten years.
I don’t know how much traffic this filter will get. I’m not a particularly hidden or private sort of person, but there are certainly moments of bitching and panicking I don’t especially want the world to read.
Boy, I tell ya what, I am not feeling any *need* to get back to writing, but I am certainly starting to feel the *pressure* to get back to writing. I could be perfectly happy loitering around for another few weeks.
Instead I keep staring at my schedule. My schedule for the rest of the year looks like this:
Left-hand side is stuff I’m getting paid to do; right-hand side is stuff I want to do. Some of the left-hand side will get squished around. For example, my editor hasn’t gotten the HEART OF STONE edits to me, which means it’s unlikely I’m going to turn them in on May 1. That sort of thing is ~~~ (that indicates a hand waving). No big deal.
The rest of it…
…I am not incapable of doing. I wouldn’t have agreed to it if I was. But boy, a week off and I’m feeling really itchy and paranoid about getting back to it, because I can’t *afford* to fall too far off the schedule as I’ve got it posted.
2007 is a little scarier. I have the 2nd book in the QUEEN’S BASTARD series due in 2007 (well, early 2008), and that’s the one that scares me. I can write Dermody books fast enough. I can write urban fantasy fast enough. It’s the big fat stuff that’s nerve-making, but TQB already has 50K written on it. I only have to do another 100. I can write 100K. This is not a problem.
But writing an entire 150K book while I also have 2 70K books and 1 125K book due that year … wow. Scary.
What’s *worse*, though, is not even this year or next year. It’s looking further down the road. Right now I’m writing 2-3 Dermody books, 1-2 urban fantasies, and 1 BFE (Big Fat Epic) a year. Four to six books.
I can do this for two years. It is possible I could continue to do this for more than two years. I don’t *want* to. I’m a little afraid I’ve set myself up for it, though, because the only way I can *really* see out of it is to stop writing the Dermody books, or stretch them out so far I’m not sure what my editor would say. I don’t want to do that, at least not before I’ve finished the Strongbox Chronicles, but god *damn*, sister. I am not signing on for five years of 600K a year finished material. There’s gonna have to be some kind of slow-down once these books are turned in.
Except, of course, I kind of like the “3 Walker Papers followed by 1 full Old Races trilogy a-bingity-bangity-bong” thing, and if I do that again it means putting myself in another “write 3 125K books in 18 months” bind. Nevermind the other contracts.
*makes a face* I’m borrowing trouble, I know, but this is what’s keeping me up at night, you know? So I’m mumbling about it.
*laugh* I can see why you would want to filter that down.
I’m honored to be on your filter. :) I can’t say that I know you as well as the others here, but I think I have at least gotten a good impression of you over the last 2-3 years of reading your blog and talking to you and stuff through cyberspace. And because of that, I can see why you’re all conflicted.
That is a brutal schedule you’ve set yourself up with.
At the same time, I think you thrive on that kind of A-type personality stress.
I so don’t envy you in that. ;)
I think a measure of breaks followed by work would not be untoward. You’re ‘working’ an unconventional job, and a week off after three straight weeks of writing is almost equivalent to weekends and stuff. Maybe getting back in the saddle again is what you need to do to develop the rhythm to keep up the pace you’re setting for yourself and not go absolutely spare.
That is an incredible schedule. Do not let yourself get burnt out, even if I’m a whiny impatient thing. :)
Take the breaks you need. And when you do work, you know that you are more than capable of producing words in that amazing quantity. You did it before!
Maybe you can plan a nice long break once you finish the 12 or 13 sbx books?
You will look back upon the bodies of your fallen foes and wonder at how it came to be, for surely no one woman can fight an entire army. :)
Nuts! You’re nuts!! But I bet you can do this and more, and not even touch burnout for years and years. Even then, it’ll be one of those little ‘I better take a vacation’ kind of burnouts, which you will be smart enough to see coming and arrange. I predict you’ll then get bored and write seven novels on your ‘break.’
Thanks for including me on this, hon, I’m grateful! And I’m also awed by your schedule. I have to remind myself that you’re actually doing this as a full-time career now, and that it’s OKAY that some of us out here are lucky to finish a novel a year. ;)
The best advice I can offer at this point, I guess, is stuff that I’m sure you already know–i.e., to give higher priority to the stuff you’re actually getting paid to do. I’m all about the sympathy for wanting to pursue the projects of your heart, but as this is your full-time career now, the stuff with actual expected pay attached needs to happen first. Then allocate time as you can for the other projects. Very similar to how you told me to punt any fanfic efforts no matter how much they may niggle at me to attend to them, if they get in the way of my working on the stuff I can in theory SELL.
Aside from that, take it as you can and see what happens. I continue to be in awe of your drive and persistence. But don’t be afraid to actually tell the folks you’re working with if you think you’ve got too much on your plate at any given time. :) From everything you have told me about your editor at Luna, not to mention the Best Agent In the World(TM), they sound like people who will work with you on such things.
Hugs and hang in there!
What he said.
*boggle*
Um. You’re insane.
Not for putting me on the filter (which is arguable, but greatly appreciated *wink*), but . . . ohmigodwoman! *blinks*
Looking ONLY at what you’re getting paid to write, you’ve got a high-end gap of what, two and a half months? I think back to my senior thesis: that was all of some 30-odd pages, and researching and writing that bastard took me around 3.5 months. Granted, heavy researched-based writing is not the same as urban fiction, nor beatsheets, nor Dermody books, but . . . gawd, woman, you’re insane!
Let’s also add in the fact that you’ve been writing for years for your own pleasure, plan to /continue/ writing for (what is essentially) your own pleasure, AND you’ve turned it into a highly-successful-yet-EXTREMELY-high-output job–sheesh. No wonder you could do with a break. Or, at the very friggin’ least, a determined slowdown.
Love ya, though. You amaze me–always have, and always will.
A challenging schedue and not something to keep up for many years — but probably quite worth the investment at the start of your career. Not that I’m telling you anything you don’t know :) Structured breaks are good though, it’s so easy to get carried away when you’re working at something you’re enthusiastic about. Speaking of which, what are the chances of the two of you dropping by Norway this summer? I think we vaguely discussed the possibilities of July once…
Maybe you can plan a nice long break once you finish the 12 or 13 sbx books?
That’s *definitely* my plan. At that point ‘a nice long break’ might be ‘hey, I only have to write THREE BOOKS this year!’, but I am .not. planning to start another Dermody series for at least 12 full calendar months after I turn the last SBX in.
The real thing about the Dermody books is that they’re the mercenary books. I’m only writing them if I’m getting paid for them. Won’t do them on spec. So there’s a (self-induced) pressure to keep those contracts coming and keep the cash coming in. With any luck that’s not going to be as much of an issue in another three or five years… *rolls eyes*
I’m honored to be on your filter. :) I can’t say that I know you as well as the others here, but I think I have at least gotten a good impression of you over the last 2-3 years…
Well, that’s why you’re on the filter. I feel similarly. :)
At the same time, I think you thrive on that kind of A-type personality stress.
I swear, I don’t *think* of myself as an A-type personality! *laugh* I suspect I am, though, kind of like my Dad. A-type focus hidden beneath a B-type veneer. :)
and a week off after three straight weeks of writing is almost equivalent to weekends and stuff
Y’know, I hadn’t thought of it that way. Huh.
*laughs out loud*
Eight, actually…I have an 8 book series (or, really, 2 4 book series) I want to write someday, but it needs to be written all at once, because it’s going to be the same event experienced by four different people, and when they come into scenes together I’m going to need to be able to make sure all four versions are flawlessly combined, which you can’t do if two of the books are already printed and you need to change something in them… :)
I have to remind myself that you’re actually doing this as a full-time career now, and that it’s OKAY that some of us out here are lucky to finish a novel a year. ;)
You know, one of the reasons I debated whether you should be on this filter or not was exactly that. I suspect I’m going to use this filter to *agh* about the writing stuff to a greater degree than I use it for other things, and I am *fully* aware of the … irony, I suppose, of bitching about having to do this much when I have so many friends who are working to get where I currently am. I wasn’t sure if it was the sort of thing that you’d want to read, or whether it would have just that effect on you, but then I figured you were plenty able to handle it, and I felt like you belonged on the filter, so there ya go. :)
But don’t be afraid to actually tell the folks you’re working with if you think you’ve got too much on your plate at any given time. :) From everything you have told me about your editor at Luna, not to mention the Best Agent In the World(TM), they sound like people who will work with you on such things.
Lucky for me, they are and they will. Jenn has expressed many *many* times her concern over me not burning out. It doesn’t do any of us any good if I do, after all. :) But she and I are pretty agreed on “two years of this is ENOUGH”, so once this huge fit of writing is past we’ll have to figure out a schedule that’s a little less insane. I think it ultimately comes down to needing more time for the Dermody books, which is kind of a pain because those are the ones that come *out* so fast. It’s really not a bridge to cross right now, but I can’t help thinking about it. :)
Looking ONLY at what you’re getting paid to write, you’ve got a high-end gap of what, two and a half months?
FWIW, to make me seem very slightly less insane, the schedule I’m working to is actually skewed several months ahead of the schedule when I *have* to turn books in. There is more flex time in there than it looks. But *I* will be much much happier if I stick with the working schedule than the real one, which I don’t even let myself look at.
I admit this only mitigates my insanity to a small degree.
And this is why I didn’t want to post that schedule publically. *grin* I’ve really been wanting to be able to talk with people about it, but I REALLY did not want to show it to the couple hundred people who read this journal. I’m not sure why, exactly, except possibly not wanting to have to say 200 times, “Yeah, I’m nuts.” :)
but probably quite worth the investment at the start of your career.
That’s exactly my thought, yeah.
what are the chances of the two of you dropping by Norway this summer?
Right now I have no idea. Ted needs to get a job and we need to get ourselves into something of a schedule (speaking of such things) before we make those plans. I need to go visit Geni, too.
Geni lives within spitting distance of Cats grandmother, which I find highly amusing. Small, small world….
Burnout is bad, says she who has done it several times by foolishly taking on too much. You know what it looks like (if not in yourself, at least in others). You should be able to tell when it’s creeping up on you. When it does, take a break and be silly. It doesn’t take much to stave it off, but be sure to listen to your deeper self and do what you need to keep back from that edge, not your insistent nagging “but I have to get this *done*” self. Better to be a few days (or weeks) behind and still have creative energy than to get to the burnout point and have *nothing*. Again, says she who’s done it.
That said, I’m right there with you about wanting to be really productive at the beginning of your career. I can’t say a THING about taking on too much without inviting nigh-infinite comments about pots calling kettles black. Just take care of yourself so that you can keep up the productivity. Not that I’m worried that you will. But it’s morning, and I haven’t had my tea yet, so I’m still in pedantic mode. :)
-R
Well, I don’t feel miserable, or even nearly miserable, just a little wild-eyed. But there does seem to be that “heap it on the plate til it overflows” thing going on, doesn’t there?
…but then I figured you were plenty able to handle it, and I felt like you belonged on the filter, so there ya go. :)
No worries. And if anything, I think it continues to be a valuable picture to me of how exactly this kind of thing works, as well as a goad to keep going!
But she and I are pretty agreed on “two years of this is ENOUGH”, so once this huge fit of writing is past we’ll have to figure out a schedule that’s a little less insane.
Bitchin’, so you’ve already got Jenn behind you. I don’t blame you in the least for going ‘aigh’ about it, though–I mean, this is a reasonably speedy huge new change to your life, neh? That kind of fast change is always aigh-inducing.
I hope Genista won’t spit on Cat’s grandmother! That would be mean!
See. Here’s what I know about Caties. Caties may hit moments of burnout. Moments of burnout make Caties cut their hair, and even, occassionally, more drastic changes. However. Caties are terribly, terribly resilient. And, Caties are pretty darned near invincible when their goals are set.
So, I’m not worried.
On the other hand, Caties do need to take breaks and have fun. That’s not generally a weakness for them, though. They’re pretty darned good at remembering that point. And they tend to have really good support systems nearby. (Teds are particularly useful, but deserve their own field guide entry.)