_edited.png)
Description:
Do you get stressed and overwhelmed whenever you look at everything it takes to publish a book, whether you're pursuing self publishing or traditional? You're not alone. I see this in a lot of authors, especially the ones working on the first or second draft.
Listen
You are listening to The Novel Writing Podcast, Episode 154
A Fresh Perspective on Overwhelm
You are listening to The Novel Writing Podcast, episode 154. I'm your host, Colleen Mitchell. Grab a cup, cozy up, and let's get to writing!
Today's episode presents a different way to approach the overwhelm you may feel when you are looking at the big picture of "publishing a book" when you're still in the first or second draft stage.
It is very easy to zoom out from the nitty-gritty of writing or editing your first drafts and get both distracted and dismayed by all the little details involved in actually getting published, whether you're going for traditional or self-publishing.
This came up on a client call a couple of weeks ago, and I wanted to bring the same analogy to all of you.
Why Do You Write?
For many people who start writing a book, it's because they have a story on their hearts that they just can't help but write.
A certain percentage of those people also see the success that some authors are having and decide that they want to publish too, OR they just want their story to reach as many people as possible.
My motivation to publish was to get my story out there—it was never and still isn't to make money, though when I get a check from IngramSpark for $0.21, it always makes me chuckle.
Whatever your motivation for publishing is, once the realization hits that it's a long process no matter which route you take, it's very easy to keep getting distracted and dismayed by the enormity of the road in front of you.
The College Analogy
That's where the college analogy comes in.
It's most applicable to those of you who either are in or have been through college, but if you haven't, stick with me.
I went to school for mechanical engineering. I was one of those students who mapped out all of the classes I would need across all four years and then used a sharpie to strike out each class as the semesters progressed.
I distinctly remember looking at this class roster as a freshman and thinking that I'd never ever make it through the senior classes because they looked SO. HARD.
Things like Mechatronics and Engineering Design might as well have been trying to learn a new language for all I knew as a freshman.
But as I struck classes off at the end of each semester, the senior classes started to look a little more reasonable.
When I focused on the current course load rather than the promise of harder classes in my future, I was less stressed out.
Building Your Foundation
What was happening is that as I went through school, my freshman through junior years built up the foundational knowledge that gave me the ability to succeed in those senior-level classes.
By the time I got to senior year, I was not concerned AT ALL with those classes.
It's the exact same thing for writing and publishing a book.
If you're in the first or second draft stage of your first book, you are a freshman. You don't have the skills or the knowledge or the foundation to even start worrying about the senior-level classes of actually going through the querying process for traditional or the self-publishing process.
Step-by-Step Progression
As you work through your drafts and edits, as you start to dip your toe into hiring professional editors or handing your book to critique partners or simply googling how to query an agent, you are slowly working your way up to the senior classes of publishing a book.
Imagine for a moment that you were dropped into the situation you're desiring without having the foundation to support it.
What If Success Came Too Soon?
Like, what if, at this very moment, an agent out of the blue contacted you asking for your full manuscript and instantly wanted to publish you?
You would have no clue what to do. You wouldn't have the foundation of experience with working through the process to know if:
A) it's legit,
B) if that agent and publisher are the right fit for you,
C) how to negotiate the contract so that the terms are in your best interest,
D) what to do if they ask for the sequels that you've vaguely imagined but haven't clearly thought through, or
E) how to operate like a business owner or a marketer—of which you are BOTH regardless of which route you take.
Focus on Your Current Class
The point is that when you start feeling stressed and demotivated whenever you're looking at the gap between your freshman or sophomore self and the seniors who have it all figured out, refocus on YOUR current class.
No one else is on your journey, so the only way you lose is by measuring yourself against someone who is further along than you.
Put your attention on the very next step and stop stressing out about what's at the top of the staircase.
Outro
That's it for today's episode! Thanks for joining me, and remember, the first draft is supposed to be garbage.
Show Notes
Dive into the first episode of the Novel Writing Podcast with your host Colleen and her sometimes-guest Halie Fewkes Damewood! Here, we give you the gist of who we are, what we do, and what you can expect from this podcast.
What to do next…
Halie & Colleen are both authors! Find their books below:
Secrets of the Tally, by Halie Fewkes Damewood
The Chronicles of Talahm, by Colleen Mitchell
Comments