Even authors have problems.
Oh, I know. Some people think that authors have it made. That once you've signed a contract, hello Easy Street. Grab me a drink with and umbrella an park my heinie beachside.
Uh . . . nope.
Hate to break it to you, especially any newbie writers out there with starry eyes, but that is one big fat ugly misconception, all snarly and gross like the nastiness you pull out of the bathroom drain. And that's no exaggeration.
Actually, if anything, it's more like Grind Avenue, and the published author is the roadkill on the side. Why? Pressure. The pressure of:
- meeting a deadline
- wondering how sales numbers are doing
- trying to crank out fresh prose at breakneck speed
- balancing social media and marketing all while coming up with new story ideas
- not looking like the schlub you really are because that would freak out the readers
Not that I want to scare away any potential authors out there. It's a great gig, losing yourself in Storyworld, getting to hobnob with other authors, receiving a shipment of free bookmarkers from your publisher. Those are all great perks.
I'm just saying take off your rose-colored glasses the next time you meet a published author. They're as insecure as you are.
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4 comments:
Oh boy, is this the truth!! And during that pressure, you have to ramp up your creativity and write a new book!
And kudos to you! Keep up the hard work!
Thanks Chappy! And Ane . . . YOU are my inspiration!
Oh, so true. Writing is demanding work regardless of your publishing status. Having two of my books published and two others self-published, I've learned that the struggles are different but the same. The difference is "who is boss and who pays?" and the same is "pressures to blog, to keep up with social media, and to manage contracts and non-writing tasks are ongoing." It's a balancing act of setting goals and expectations while working in partnerships of several kinds . . . all to do the fun and imaginative play of "losing myself in Storyworld.".
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