Any non-fiction writers experience "after-the-sale" doldrums/paralysis?

erinbee · Jul 21, 2009

Nutshell version: How did you deal with post-sale paralysis and write the damn book anyway?

Longer version: So...I got The Call, The Deal, The Contract, even The Check for a non-fiction book with a major publisher. And now I have a January 15 deadline and a contractually-stipulated word count and the flashing cursor of doom and I am just paralyzed.

Though my deadline is in January I need to come in significantly ahead of deadline to give my agent time to read and make suggestions/revisions. My general outline is pinned down and I'd wager I have 10% of an incredibly shitty, incredibly amateurish and dismal first draft written. And here I have stalled, paralyzed and terrified.

Tactics I have tried thus far: bribery, fear, spreadsheets, gold stars, mockery, marathon writing sessions.

If it helps, I have a history of procrastinating on projects until deadlines loom large and then finishing them with guts and glory at the last possible minute. This approach is not an option for this work. It won't be good, and plus it deserves my time and attention. In addition, I am a full-time freelance writer, so it's not like I fear the editorial process or deadlines in general. I'm just scared.

Any advice/suggestions? Commentary on how amateurish first-timers should not attempt to sell books that haven't been completed yet is unwelcome at this point. Non-fiction sells on proposal, I sold with the knowledge that yes, I do have a book in me, and besides, it might cause me to freak.

wrtaway · Jul 21, 2009

I feel your pain - I'm in the same situation as you are, although I am a little more than 50% complete with a December deadline. I'm also a last-minute kinda person, and have a terrible time completing anything unless there is an immediate, looming deadline.

So, what has worked for me (sort of, so far) is intermediate deadlines. My editor has requested that I send my work in batches of two chapters at a time, as I finish. We have specific dates that we agree to as informal deadlines. I've only sent one of these "batches", but I received very helpful feedback from him that has helped me quite a lot while writing the rest of the book. I suggest you work something out like this with either your agent or your editor, including agreeing upon a specific date (for some reason this registers in my stubborn brain as a "Deadline which must be met" even if it is informal).

Priene · Jul 21, 2009

It sounds like you may have an anxiety disorder, one where you're so scared of the task at hand that it's much less distressing to procrastinate. You might want to have a look at Cognitive Bahavioural Therapy. Even if you wouldn't class your fear as a disorder, it's resolution methods, confronting the fear a little at a time, are useful. Don't attempt to write the book in one go. Draw up a timetable for each chapter, each page, each paragraph if necessary, whatever feels most comfortable, and stick to it. It's a lot easier to meet a deadline if it's just to complete a paragraph by 10:30.

Gatita · Jul 28, 2009

Awww, first drafts are always incredibly shitty... at least mine are.

I'm hoping to be in your shoes soon with my nf book, but I've been through slightly similar experiences with long magazine pieces and two novels in progress. I just push through the crap until I have a crappy full-length manuscript I can edit... and edit and edit.

You can always use the NaNoWriMo approach... just bang out to word count and then fix it.

Please keep us posted on how it goes...

the addster · Jul 28, 2009

Kinda of been there.

Do you have anybody you can ask to read this thing chapter by chapter as you finish them that you really don't want to disappoint? Not so much for the critique, just so you have to get the stuff to them? Somebody bitchy and impatient? An in-law, or childhood Sunday school teacher, perhaps?

I got into the same place that it sounds like you are in on a past project. Sending my stuff to a friend who I would rather take a beating from than disappoint really helped me get it done.

scope · Jul 28, 2009

It sort of sounds like you're doubting yourself, questioning yourself, and in an odd way, lacking confidence. No way that should be. You've accomplished more than 99.9% of all writers. Your work or concepts were more than good enough to land an agent. You produced a proposal good enough to land a publisher and get an advance. You have talent. For the work in progress you've locked in an outline and completed about 10% of the manuscript (shitty or not). My advice is simple and in general nothing you haven't heard before.

Make up a timetable and stick to it. Dismiss the negative thoughts. Examine what you've done as a writer thus far and tell yourself this project is nothing more than a normal barrier -- putting on paper what's already in your mind and on outline form. Adopt a bullish attitude while saying to yourself that I will write and rewrite as often as I must to bring this work in before deadline ("the only one preventing that from happening is me").

Can you complete the first draft of the work by September 30th? During the process you could send completed chapters for comments to your agent, beta readers, and the editor. Can you then revise and rewrite as needed October 1st-November 30th? If so, you're finished with a month to spare.

erinbee · Jul 29, 2009

Thanks so much, everyone, for your replies.

I spoke with my agent and we created a drop-dead deadline to get it to him so he has time for edits and I have time for final tweaks. Then I worked back to create a timeline I think will work.

My plan is to have a first draft completed by September 15, revisions over the next two months so I can deliver to my agent on or before November 15. Then we'll have two months to edit, tweak, revise, and perfect.

I also added everything up and I'm approximately 25% through my first draft! So only 75% to go before I get to start making it pretty and semi-coherent!

Things are feeling a lot more real (and manageable) now that I'm thinking in terms of timeline and deadlines.

Something I've found that is helping a lot is being part of an online writers' group whose owner is sending out random word counts every day. They vary between 0 and 3000 words, and you have to write the words she stipulates per day. You can bank if you go over. It's so fun, unpredictable, and I find myself pushing even if I don't want to. So that's very helpful!

Anyway, I'm so relieved to hear that I'm not a hopeless freak and feel motivated and excited again! I'm even more excited that I get an almost 2-week writing vacation starting Saturday. Trying to clear the decks so I can have some peace and quiet...

happywritermom · Jul 30, 2009

That sounds like an excellent plan. I'm going through the my-agent-is-trying-to-sell-my-book-and-I-don't-want-to-work-on-it-until-he-does doldrums. I'm about 40 percent done, but the book is a compilation of interviews and I have about 30 to go. So I guess, if he sells it, I'll be hiring a lot of transcriptionists!
Good luck and congrats!

nconner · Jul 30, 2009

I was going to suggest the working-backward-from-the-deadline strategy, but I see you've already decided to do that. (It works!) I write how-to and reference books, and when I got my first contract five years ago, I suffered from a similar paralysis. In fact, I was the exact same kind of procrastinator you describe in your initial post: Let the deadline sneak up on me, then write like crazy. That can work with short pieces, but not with a whole book (as you've already realized).

For the kind of nonfiction I write, the advance is tied to milestones, such as first two chapters, 50%, 100%, and completed author review. That's a good motivator. But it sounds like you've done something similar by setting milestones with your agent. Hitting those milestones feels good and helps you realize that you are indeed making progress, especially when you're in the middle of the book and it feels like you'll never reach the end.

I've come to appreciate deadlines--if only because they let me see that, no, this project WON'T last forever. Setting and meeting milestones has decreased anxiety for me because they break a big project down into manageable steps and help me adjust my writing speed as necessary. For a book project, it's definitely "slow and steady wins the race."

Good luck!

Nancy Holzner

scope · Aug 1, 2009

Erin,

That's more like it! What a different attitude you now display compared to your initial post. It sounds like you're out of the doldrums and have put together a plan that's likely to lead to success.

Good luck.

Wayne K · Aug 1, 2009

I can keep this answer brief. No.

And when it happens, I won't. I love my book.

nighttimer · Aug 1, 2009

I once was told by an author, "Until you sit down and start writing you won't know if you're writing a book or a long magazine article."

Once you've figured that out, it's just a matter of applying your butt to the seat of the chair and your fingers to the keyboard. The rest is just sudden bursts of inspiration followed by mucking through the marshes.

Nobody can tell you how to write. If you're good enough to have snagged a book deal (Congrats!) you're obviously talented, but now you've gotta prove it.

Gulp. :scared:

I'm sure once the panic attack passes if you're as professional as your accomplishments indicate you are, then you'll get it done. What choice do you really have?

erinbee · Dec 7, 2009

Just wanted to update you all and say that IT'S FINISHED! Ahead of schedule! !!!!111ELEVENTY!!

I definitely regretted my doldrums when my deadline was looming, I can tell you that. And I'm really proud that come death, three rounds of bronchitis, and the callings of a more-than-full-time-job, I delivered.

Thanks for your support.

Any non-fiction writers experience "after-the-sale" doldrums/paralysis?

erinbee

slanted and enchanted

wrtaway

to be determined later

Priene

Out to lunch

Gatita

Girl reporter

the addster

scope

Commonsensical Maverick

erinbee

slanted and enchanted

happywritermom

nconner

scope

Commonsensical Maverick

Wayne K

nighttimer

Am I Evil? Yes, I Am!

erinbee

slanted and enchanted