Jitters...
Happy Friday New Kids - Lynn here. I'm on the tail end of THE BULL RIDER'S BROTHER Blog Tour - one more week. (Stops are posted at my website - www.lynncahoon.wordpress.com) So today I have a special visitor to keep you entertained and thinking about your writing.
My amazingly talented friend, Laura Bradford, has agreed to talk about what happens as a writer. When you sell, when you write, when you promo. In short, the jitters.
But I won't keep you - Laura is here, chomping at the bit and ready to give us all the benefit of her experience.
Thank you for coming by Laura...
I don’t care who you are or how long you've been writing…you
get jitters from time to time. It just
happens. To all of us.
During the writing phase, those jitters look like this:
*Oh my gosh, I’m a hack. I can’t write.
*Uh oh. This plot point isn’t working.
*Am I going to make my deadline?
*How am I ever going to finish when my motivation is next to
nil this time?
Once our labor of love is under contract, the jitters morph
to this:
*How should I promote my book?
*Will I ever sell another?
*How can I afford to promote my book?
*What happens if it gets bad reviews?
*Will anyone even buy it when it comes out?
Then launch day comes around, and a whole new crop kicks in:
*What’s my Amazon rank?
*Where is it in the store?
*Is anyone buying it?
*Does anyone like it?
*Will people want more from me?
*Can I do it again?
And then the process starts all over again.
In fact, right now, I’m juggling a healthy dose of jitters
from group one and group three right now as I’m both writing a book (Southern
Sewing Circle Mystery # 8) and smack dab in the middle of launch month for the
first book in an all new mystery series—HEARSE AND BUGGY.
I keep thinking the jitters will change, but they don’t.
Each and every time, they’re all right there, nagging at my psyche as I type,
edit, and launch.
So how do you deal with it?
For me? I keep writing.
And when the jitters begin to surface—as they always do—I
look at the books lined up on my shelf…the books that have my name on their
spine and think, Ha!
Then, if that doesn’t
tame the jitters, I eat some chocolate! J
*****
Laura Bradford is the author of the new Amish Mysteries
(Berkley Prime Crime/Penguin). The debut title, HEARSE AND BUGGY, is available
now.
In addition to this new series, Laura is also the
bestselling author of the Southern Sewing Circle Mystery Series (under her pen
name, Elizabeth Lynn Casey), and an award winning romance author for Harlequin
American. Her next romance, STORYBOOK DAD, is scheduled to release in
October 2012.
For more information, visit her website: www.laurabradford.com.
8 comments:
I'm in group two and totally panicking. LOL What you had to say makes me feel better--thanks!
So true, Laura! Glad to know I'm not the only one.
I like the chocolate remedy :)
Hi Laura -
Good luck with the new series. I love the cover and I also took a quick peek at your website, which looks great too!
Stocked up on chocolate (it keeps me out of the vodka. . . . mostly).
Thanks for the words of wisdom!
It's good to hear that I'm not alone in my panic...and self-medicating with chocolate!
Jamie, don't worry. New jitters are just around the corner in group 3, too! :)
Wendy, I'd be lost without my chocolate.
Cathy, thanks! The book is doing really well so far! And thanks on the website comment. That's the product of a major overhaul about 5 weeks ago!
Irene, LOLOLOL.
Elizabeth, panic and chocolate go hand in hand!
Oh, so true. But it's refreshing to know we're not alone, right?
Big thanks for Laura taking on blog responsibilities for Friday.
I love this post. I'm always thinking one or more of these things - It cracks me up when you say the same thing.
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