Being on deadline: the good, the bad, and the “Wow, I think we’re getting somewhere.”
Hiya! If you’re new here, I recently announced that my book THE ROSEWOOD HUNT is being published by HarperTeen / HarperCollins in 2023. I’m so excited to share this YA thriller about a girl on the hunt for her missing inheritance who needs to team up with three unlikely teens to follow a string of clues before somebody else finds the fortune –– or them –– first. It’s truly the treasure hunt book of my dreams!
While I was busy screaming about it online, I was also pretty active behind the scenes. While I had been waiting to announce it, my editor sent feedback and we had a call to go over it, which was so fun. It’s really amazing to get to see your book through someone else’s eyes, and I feel so lucky to have an editor that really understood the heart of the story and had wonderful feedback to help it shine even more. Plus, it just felt so surreal to get to chat with my editor. It made all of this feel a teensy bit more real.
With her notes in hand, I dove into edits. I had roughly two months to work on them, although deadlines vary for everyone. I considered myself pretty lucky because while some edits were fairly big picture, most felt super manageable. Plus, I had missed my book so much. I couldn’t wait to get back to it.
But I’ll be honest! Being on deadline was a lot harder than I expected.
To clear the air, I didn’t think it’d be easy. Not by a long shot. But I’ve always been a fairly fast writer and overly optimistic, so I thought I’d get them done in a month and have plenty of time to spare for tweaks and another read-through.
*cue dark chuckle* Oh, we really thought, huh?
Okay, so it wasn’t THAT bad. But still, I was surprised how long they were taking me! When I hit the one-month mark, I still had an entire half a book to go. And some chapters were plain MEAN. I’d edit them, then go back the next day realizing I had the totally wrong direction and needed to redo it. RUDE.
I’ll be honest. As I got closer to finishing , I could feel myself freezing up. I was scared I wouldn’t finish on time. Scared I was making the story worse (see also: I definitely wasn’t, but in the moment amid so much change, it can feel like that sometimes). Scared I’d let people down! I had underestimated what it’d be like, especially the pressure that now whatever words I was putting down would likely be printed. That truth hits different!
I also really struggled with making editing a priority. I have a full-time day job, and I’m also a big routine person, especially in the mornings. But for the last few weeks on deadline, I waved a tearful goodbye to my carefully constructed routine. No more early morning walks. No more reading to start my day. Breakfast? Try a granola bar! That’s all you’ve got time for, kid.
Now, I know some people run like this normally, but as mentioned, I really depend on routines to get me started. Not just that, but to keep my mind on the right track. I really struggle with overwhelm, and being able to do as many things as possible in the morning before work helps keep me grounded and feeling in control. I wouldn’t survive in a zombie apocalypse and I’m not ashamed to admit that! I’m also a Virgo rising, so, maybe that plays into it, too.
So that was tough. Pieces of my life had to get shoved to the side, which somehow I hadn’t anticipated. You mean I can’t do everything at once all the time? Ugh, hate that.
But it was also a great lesson in prioritizing what mattered most, which right then was my book, my job, and my mental health! So yeah, I still snuck in a couple of hot girl walks when I could. Also, I’m so grateful to share my story, and remembering that always put things in perspective and got me back on track.
Plus, I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t plain cool. While being on deadline can be intimidating, it also felt like my own little treasure hunt. Finding the bits I needed to fix, doing what I could to polish them up, figuring out what puzzle pieces went where. I’ve always preferred revising to drafting, and now was no different.
However, it wasn’t until my final read-through that it hit me –– this was my most favorite draft I’d written yet. And that’s such a gratifying feeling to know that regardless of anything else, I’m happy with it. So I guess those long days were worth it!
I’m still fairly early in the debut process, so I’m sure there will still be lots of edits to be done. And now that I’ve had a bit of TLC, I’m excited to go back to it and keep pushing it toward the best book it can be. But I definitely have that “Wow, we’re really getting somewhere” feeling.
(sorry, I had to)
To wrap this up, I’m so extremely grateful for the opportunity to publish my words, so I hope none of this comes across as anything but! I just wanted to share some of the harder bits that perhaps don’t make the Instagram cut. At the end of the day, it’s still all good things and I’m constantly looking forward to what comes next.
Also, I filmed this video that’s a day in the life of an author on deadline. Note: it was taken toward the very end of my deadline and I had taken the day off from work to finish things up, so that’s why I was able to devote so much of the day to revising!
Lastly, I wanted to make a list of things that helped me finish my edits on time. These are just suggestions, and as always, no guarantee that they’ll be significantly helpful to anyone else. It’s important to remember that there’s no right or wrong way to approach writing and that we all work differently!
Things that really helped:
Time off! I took two days off before my deadline, which was so needed since I wanted to read through my book one more time. That said, I totally respect that not everyone is able to do this, and I likely can’t do this for every deadline. But it’s something to keep in mind if you can!
Small rewards. I truly am like a dog in that I need to incentivize myself via small rewards. Get that chapter done? Great, go watch that episode of Stranger Things you’ve been dodging spoilers left and right for. I also love treating myself and sometimes it’s as simple as a trip to the dollar store with $5. (Other times it’s an Old Navy splurge, but we don’t need to talk about that because my wallet is still crying).
Social time. Something I noticed with revisions is that I felt a pull to constantly be working. Like, my friends would invite me to do things and it was on the tip of my tongue to say no because I knew I had an obligation to my book. However, I think it’s really important to not pass up everything that comes your way if you can afford the time. Forcing myself to be social really helped recharge my writer brain, and also gave me time to brainstorm away from my doc while still maintaining relationships IRL.
Meal prep. Someone is probably rolling their eyes, and that someone is ME. But really, the only way to dodge my granola bar breakfasts was to make something like overnight oats the night before, so all I had to do was flick off the lid and eat it while working the next morning.
Talking with friends. Everyone says this, but publishing can be so lonely at times. It was really helpful to be chatting with a few close friends throughout this time. They helped boost me when I needed a shot of morale, and in general, helped keep me focused and excited.
CP snippet swap! My favorite part! One of my CPs and I were on deadline together, so we would launch snippets at each other. If you have a trusted friend you can do this with, 10/10 recommend. It kept things fun and was so gratifying to show someone my work as I went along.
As usual, I thought this would be a short blog, LOL. But oh well, if you can’t tell, I’m kind of treating this whole process like a diary series so I can look back on it someday. And if it helps demystify some of this process for anyone else, then even better!
If you liked this blog, feel free to follow me on twitter, instagram, and tiktok where I share other writing updates and things like this, along with my debut diaries series! Thanks for reading <3
