You may have noticed that I took a break from writing posts in November. No, it wasn't because of NaNoWriMo, unfortunately. It was due to me needing to focus entirely on editing and finishing up Wolf Pit. I'm happy to say, the files were approved by Ingramspark, and I clicked print today.
NaNo resulted in about 400 words, which is the first time in many years that I've lost. I was up against several tight deadlines, and while the book will indeed come out on the 14th, I won't have the printed copies in hand. Not exactly the results I had hoped for, but at least the book will launch, and it's given me some time to really understand the importance of setting up reasonable deadlines.
When I wrote The Purple Door District, I completed the first draft in November 2017, over a year before it would come out. I decided around March 2018 that I wanted to publish the book, so I worked to get an editor and started my marketing campaign. I spent months editing, promoting, finding artists, creating swag, lining up readings and places for the launch. It was nonstop, however, I evened out my deadlines enough that I was able to edit the book in a reasonable amount of time, create a proof copy, and get the paperbacks with weeks to spare. In the end, the launch went great, the book ended up being around 73,000 words, and the pieces came together.
Wolf Pit was much different. I wrote 50,000 words of the book in November 2018, expecting it to come out around December 2019. But then roadblocks got in the way and my health plummeted. Writer's block forced me to put the pen down, and I ended up in the hospital twice in early 2019 both for cellulitis and mental health issues. When I finally came out of it, it still took me longer than I had hoped to finish the book. I was still shaky with the deadline, but I thought December would still work, so I pushed to get it done. What I didn't account for was the fact that the book was over 100,000 words, my team and I would run into life and health issues, and printing times would change. In the end, I will still have a book out on December 14th, but I wish I had had more time.
So what does that mean for book 3? Well, first off, since I was completely devoted to Wolf Pit in November, book 3 did not get written. So after I take about a month off, I'll start writing it. A printing date will not be decided until long after I've started the edits so I can produce the best book for my readers.
I know now that if I had the chance to go back and do things differently, I would have written all three books before I even published the first one so I didn't run into these issues. That's the ideology I followed for my medieval fantasy (even if that's still sitting on the back burner), and it made the books stronger because elements that popped up in book 3, I had to add in book 1. That's not to say I don't have an outline for PDD 3, but I think this would have helped with the deadlines and the stress that came with the mishaps over the past year.
So what can you do to set up, and stick to, deadlines for your book or creative piece?
Cushion Time: Set up an initial deadline with plenty of cushion. If you run into trouble, you'll still have extra time to get the work completed.
Be Considerate of Everyone's Schedules: Don't overexert yourself or the people helping you. Make sure you're giving everyone a reasonable amount of time to get the work done so no one has to rush, especially when polishing the final piece.
Change the Final Dates: Be willing to adjust final dates. As an indie author, it's a lot easier to change the publication date than in traditional publishing. If you don't think the book will be done on time, or it's not as polished as it could be, push the deadline. Yes, it may frustrate some people that it's not coming out when promised, but I think most people would be happy to wait for a cleaner story.
Personal Time: Create down time for yourself. Seriously, pushing yourself to work on the project every single day is not good for your health. You need to allow yourself time to rest so you can come at it refreshed.
Ask For Help: Whether it's with marketing, revising, or formatting, don't be afraid to reach out to your community and ask for aid. I never would have been able to get Bianca's necklaces done for book 1 had Amanda Bouma not helped me. And my eyes were so tired after reading Wolf Pit, I was happy to rely on AE Kellar to give the book formatting a final review.
Calendar: Keep a planner or calendar handy to help you visually plot the days when you want things to get done. Mark any days that may give you trouble, or days you know you'll have extra time to work to make up for any setbacks.
Make Lists: Set up lists of things you need to get done to help you reach deadlines. Make sure to include even the little things, because it's really satisfying to mark off tons of tasks.
You can find other tips here:
What do you do to help you stay in line with your deadlines?