by Anita Hughes
When I was pregnant with my first child, I spent a lot of time waiting. I waited to feel the first kick, I waited for my monthly pre-natal visit, I waited for Lamaze classes to begin. Each event seemed to take forever to occur, but each event also brought me closer to the birth of my son. I spent nine months being impatient, excited, terrified and finally overjoyed when I delivered him.
Being book pregnant is much the same thing. Waiting for one’s book to be released has many watershed events – the first time you see your cover, your first pass pages, when you receive blurbs from other authors or get early ARC’s. Each of these events seems to arrive with the speed of a horse and buggy, but they do eventually happen. And each time they do, they bring you one step closer to holding the finished book in your hand.
As I await the publication of my second book – MARKET STREET – which will be released on March 26th, 2013 by St. Martin’s Press, I like to think I have learned something from the release of MONARCH BEACH last summer; just as when I went through my second pregnancy, I tried to learn from the first. What I am trying to embrace is: Enjoy the wait.
There are few events in life which live up to the anticipation surrounding them: a two hour child’s birthday party rarely matches up to the nights spent dreaming about the big day. Vacations that are booked months ahead can be plagued by poor accommodations or inclement weather.
Your wedding day and the birth of a child usually far exceed anything you could imagine. They are worth the months of slowly peeling off calendar days. They are moments you will never forget.
The release of your book may not match your matrimonial union or the first sight of your newborn, but it as an exciting, once in a lifetime moment. It is a time that as soon as your book has been accepted for publication (now that is a wonderful day!) you know will eventually arrive. So, as I tell myself, kick back, watch a foreign movie or indulge in reading your favorite author, and enjoy the wait. Publication day will come and then you will have to find something else worth waiting for.
Showing posts with label Anita. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anita. Show all posts
Friday, 28 December 2012
Friday, 24 February 2012
Self Promotion as Self Reflection
by Anita Hughes
One of the greatest joys of being a mother is not having the time to think about yourself. As a mother you are so busy attending to scraped knees and elbows, broken bones and bruised egos, you don't focus on your own small dramas.
The same is true about being an author. The minute you turn on the computer and disappear into the world of your characters, you stop obsessing about real world problems like faulty appliances, ruined recipes or anything else that can derail your day.
So it is a rude shock, like stepping out of a warm Jacuzzi into a cold shower to suddenly have to promote your book and talk about YOU. When did you first start writing? What is your inspiration? Does your story draw from personal experience? Why would I want to talk about ME when the purpose of writing fiction is to create an imaginary world and sweep me under the rug.
Self promotion, I have found, is very much self reflection. I am asked questions by well meaning interviewers that make me look at myself, my choices over the years, what I see for my future. What are my goals, beliefs, ideals. I can't simply answer: "I write so I don't have to think about those things!" I write so I can forget about war, famine, heartbreak and trauma and submerge myself in a world I control. Certainly, my characters go through terrible moments. Sometimes I cry while I write, but it is up to me to rescue them (or not) and shape the ending as I see fit. But what I have found as I fill out another author Q&A, is that in the process I get to know myself better. I learn what are my strengths and weaknesses, where I have come from and where I would like to be going. And that makes me a better writer. I approach my new manuscript with more confidence in my abilities, more energy, more excitement for what the future holds for my characters and myself.
No writer wants to spend the day gazing in the mirror (writers - like mothers - are not know for their glamorous wardrobe and makeup choices) but a little introspection now and then makes one wiser. So I am thankful for the opportunity to ask myself questions that have been lurking in my brain, hidden under the needs of my fictional characters and real-life children.
The same is true about being an author. The minute you turn on the computer and disappear into the world of your characters, you stop obsessing about real world problems like faulty appliances, ruined recipes or anything else that can derail your day.
So it is a rude shock, like stepping out of a warm Jacuzzi into a cold shower to suddenly have to promote your book and talk about YOU. When did you first start writing? What is your inspiration? Does your story draw from personal experience? Why would I want to talk about ME when the purpose of writing fiction is to create an imaginary world and sweep me under the rug.
Self promotion, I have found, is very much self reflection. I am asked questions by well meaning interviewers that make me look at myself, my choices over the years, what I see for my future. What are my goals, beliefs, ideals. I can't simply answer: "I write so I don't have to think about those things!" I write so I can forget about war, famine, heartbreak and trauma and submerge myself in a world I control. Certainly, my characters go through terrible moments. Sometimes I cry while I write, but it is up to me to rescue them (or not) and shape the ending as I see fit. But what I have found as I fill out another author Q&A, is that in the process I get to know myself better. I learn what are my strengths and weaknesses, where I have come from and where I would like to be going. And that makes me a better writer. I approach my new manuscript with more confidence in my abilities, more energy, more excitement for what the future holds for my characters and myself.
No writer wants to spend the day gazing in the mirror (writers - like mothers - are not know for their glamorous wardrobe and makeup choices) but a little introspection now and then makes one wiser. So I am thankful for the opportunity to ask myself questions that have been lurking in my brain, hidden under the needs of my fictional characters and real-life children.
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