Not just one or two pieces, but every element I took my eye off, even for a second. To be blunt: every piece of With a Little Help that I didn't pay minute attention to has slipped through the cracks. But working on With a Little Help has taught me that the writer's Zen-like complacency has no place in the world of writer-as-publisher. Upon being told of the new book's delivery, they writhed with scorn, unwilling to believe that it could take 18 months to midwife a book from a draft to an object of commerce. I've learned to trust that everyone is doing her or his job and that I can just forget about things until someone tells me it's time to pay attention again. But I've come to grips with the long, leisurely pace of print publishing, with all the logistical coordination between writer, editor, sales, marketing, distribution, and retail. I am, by nature, short of attention span and impatient. The zen time piece by now and zen professional#I've learned many things on the way to becoming a professional writer, but the most difficult thing was learning to cope with delayed gratification. in May 2012.Īt this point, I was forcefully reminded of how fundamentally weird it is to work heroically toward a deadline, hit it, and then have to basically forget all about it for the next 18 months. I elatedly tweeted about finishing the book, letting my readers know that it was in the can, a month ahead of deadline no less, and that it would be coming to a shelf near them. In fact, I believe it is my best novel to date. I write these words on a Friday having just recently finished and sent off my next YA novel, Pirate Cinema, to all the agents, editors, friends, first readers, and fact-checkers who've been awaiting it.
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