I don't know about you, but Covid has knocked me for six. Not the diseases itself, I hasten to add. I have managed to evade contracting the dreaded virus thus far. But the pandemic seems to have upended my life. Before, my main source of inspiration was travel. Frequent trips to Greece, Turkey, Spain and Italy used to see me back home energised, my head bursting with ideas for new books, my notebooks full of notes.
Did I ever even as much as open one of those precious notebooks through the various lockdowns? Not once! I had the office redecorated, I gardened, I did a handful of online school events. But actual creative, sit-down-and-write-me work? I managed to write two novels which were part of a series and had been meticulously planned beforehand. But new work? Nope!
The toxic combination of self-isolation and the drip-drip-drip feed in the news of politicians' machinations drained me of all creativity. And the industry seemed to have changed. Editors, those that stayed in their jobs, that is, were working from home. My agent's calls and emails went mostly unanswered. Now the dust seems to be clearing on a new world. Time for new batteries, new plans. So here's a bullet list I drew up for turbo-charging the next phase of my career.
1 THE PAST IS GONE
Time was when your editor stayed at her job for years. You wrote for one main publisher who promoted your projects and commissioned you to write new stuff. That way of life died during lockdown. Don't base what you're doing now on your past modus operandi. The new world needs new opportunities. Look to new publishers, alongside your main one if you're happy with them. Find new opportunities. Stories don't just come between two covers anymore.
2 GIVE YOURSELF DEADLINES - HARSH ONES
This is a big one for me. Give me a deadline and I'm glued to my macbook. Day and night. Even on the loo if need be. But take away that point of no return, take away the editor scowling down the ether, the illustrator worried she might not be able to fit your project in her busy schedule, and I'm wasting weeks mulling over plot points while deadheading the roses.
Enough with the displacement activity. Set yourself new deadlines. Harsh ones. Think you can write a synopsis in three weeks. Try to do it in one. Tap out 'the end' before you give yourself a break. Your career will thank you for it.
3 SAY YES MORE THAN NO
Sometimes small opportunities turn into big ones. I used to say no to projects that I'd decided to move on from. Now I discuss projects with my agent before deciding. Could that little project lead to a bigger one. Could it give you more contacts in the industry. If there's a chance that the answer is yes, go for it. It will take less time than you think.
4 SAY NO MORE THAN YES
This might sound like a contradiction to the above but the 'no' here means no to things that chip away at your sense of self-worth. No to free charity sessions, no to free storytelling in church, no to free books for reading groups. Your time is worth is money, your books are worth money. If they want it, they should pay for it.
5 CONCENTRATE ON YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS
I often focus on the negative rather than the positive. Social media is terrible for this. Have you just signed a hundred copies of your books for a school? Go on twitter and I'll bet you'll soon find someone gloating over a pile of five thousand, with more to come when the cramp in their fingers eases off. Don't feel inferior. You might not even know the real story behind that post. Celebrate your achievements, no matter how small or big. Turn off social media if need be. It can often be a wasteland.
And that, gentle reader, is my little online rant for the month. Have a great world book day week, everyone. And don't forget to celebrate yourself as well as the glorious world of books. You are awesome.
Saviour Pirotta's last book in the Wolfsong Series, The Wolf's Song was published by Maverick in January. The first in his Nile Adventures series, The Heart Scarab drops on the 28th February. Follow Saviour on twitter @spirotta and on instagram @saviour2858.
www.saviourpirotta.com
4 comments:
Good advice, Saviour. I'm with you - it's been a two-year wasteland. I did a few books, far fewer than usual, and they took a lot more effort because, yes, survival and gardening were the main things to get done. I feel the future of book publishing is very uncertain at the moment. Not because people won't still want books, but because of lots of reasons to do with production and distribution that will mean publishers really struggle. And struggling publishers don't commission much. Tricky times, but I admire your optimism xx
Thank you, Saviour! I'll be copying this onto my laptop! Onward! Onward! Your enthusiasm for writing shines out. I'm so with you on the social media thing btw. It can induce a total 'I'm a useless has-been and everyone else is doing brilliantly' feeling, which is not healthy or real. And yes, Anne, it's tricky times for publishers but there will always be a need for content somehow, somewhere, surely? We can't affect the general economic climate, that's for sure, however. All we can do is encourage each other to be the best we can be, I guess.
Great, Saviour - very practical and energising! Oh yes - social media. It's great to hear other people's good news - but a kick in the teeth if you haven't had any for a while! And goodness - doesn't it swallow time up? Right - off not to look at my phone...
Thanks for your comments, everyone. Lots of advice for me from you three, as well. Tricky times indeed but, at least, we're all in this together.
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