This weekend I have a personal goal set to finish Hyacinth enough that it’s time to send it to Wendy, my editor. This is going to be a stretch as I’m trying to squeeze writing in between spending time with my family, working, homework and reading for my MBA program, and the holiday.
The time pressure I consider to be necessary and somewhat unavoidable. I know that my editing process with Wendy takes a good 2-3 months. If I want Hyacinth ready to be released in February, I need to get it in her hands now.
Unfortunately, I happen to be in the middle of my least favorite part of writing a book. I’m going back through the completed manuscript and improving/fixing/filling/finalizing. I don’t know why I dislike this part so much. You would think I would want to hone my creation until I’m completely satisfied. But by the time I get to this point, I’m so ready to be done that it’s tempting to rush.
Also tempting me to rush is the fact that I’m really looking forward to getting Hyacinth into Wendy’s hands. I truly enjoy collaborating with her. Her edits and comments help me with getting the book exactly where I want it. I can’t wait to start that process, and getting through my own final edits is the only thing standing in my way.
In addition to the time pressure that I’m feeling, I’m also getting a small sense of pressure to perform. When I wrote Blue Violet it was truly with only me in mind – what I would like to read. No one had any expectations of me whatsoever. With Hyacinth as my second book in a series I’m feeling the pressure of the sophomore effort.
I want to live up to my fans’ expectations. I LOVE my fans who have been so supportive and encouraging. I want to exceed what I did in Blue Violet. I want to address anything I wasn’t completely satisfied with the first time around. And I want the plot to make sense both in relation to Blue Violet and in the set up for books 3 & 4. Yeah – I know – it’s all me, me, me.
Both the time pressures and the pressure to perform are entirely of my own making. I know this logically in my head. And so, while I spend my holiday working diligently toward my goal, I try to keep in mind the idea of writing for myself first and letting the chips fall where they may after that.
Wish me luck!!
Good luck, Abigail!