I’ve gone longer than usual without a post, due to a perfect storm of factors — I had a business trip to Ann Arbor, a bunch of friends in town for Memorial Day, a nine-day trip to Iowa to play with my family (and work like a scullery wench to help get ready for my aunt’s wedding), and far too much catching up to do on the day job. Also, after spending many, many hours configuring the Wordpress options for this website, I found that logging into it and updating it was the last thing I wanted to do.
But, I’m back, and I’m hopeful that I shall update this more regularly going forward. One of the things that I did not expect when I signed with an agent (although any sane woman, particularly one who has read as many publishing blogs as I have for the past year, would have anticipated this) was that I would suddenly have to give my deadlines with my writing as much consideration as my deadlines for work. Oh, I knew what I was getting into, and now that I’m in the position I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else — but if my agent manages to land the coveted multi-book contract, suddenly I have responsibilities and commitments. Given how little I like commitment, it’s a wonder I can even write romance in the first place; but now I have to follow through.
However, in perhaps the best sign that writing is the best career for me, I find that I actually don’t mind that commitment. In my other, non-writer life, I hate committing — I don’t own a house, I’m always open to picking up and switching continents, and I haven’t lived in the same space for more than eighteen months in the past ten years. But the idea of committing to a long series of books, to delivering on deadline, and to building a base of readers doesn’t fill me with the same queasy “I’m trapped in a prison of my own making” feeling that I get with other aspects of my life — instead, it fills me with a true sense of excitement and an eagerness to just get on with it already.
We’ll see if I can keep this attitude when the deadlines actually become crushing; the only one I’m working toward right now is getting a last round of edits to my agent, along with blurbs for my next books. I finished the edits tonight (pending a final proofread tomorrow), and so hopefully I’ll get everything to her this weekend. And then it’s fingers crossed that she can sell AN INCONVENIENT MARRIAGE while I furiously finish Madeleine and Ferguson’s story in anticipation of putting it on the market next.
Going forward, though, I intend to check in here at least twice a week. If you have suggested blog topics, let me know!
| Dreaded Rewrites | In Search of Publication | Writing Career |
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Posted 21 June 2009, 12:08 am
