It's worth it

I read several blogs last week that focused on writing a sequel under contract. About how hard it is to be writing under expectations. People have believed in your first book enough to publish it, others have read it, and both want more out of you. People have expectations that it be good.

Enter PRESSURE.

Here are my thoughts on the issue, as posted on The Intern's blog:


I'm an unpublished author and have thought of these things. I've been told before about deadlines, about the need to get things done on a strict time schedule. I have read countless blogs and tweets from other writers doing the same things. 

And yet, I don't think it's a pressure that one can truly understand until one is in those shoes, staring down the deadline. I used to be a reporter for a newspaper, so I know all about deadlines. Maybe better than novelists. I have had an hour to get something done that needs to be coherent, intriguing, grammatically correct, factual and have no inconsistencies - all knowing that people will be READING it in just a few hours. So I know about deadlines. 

However, being under contract to write something that people enjoy, that they will hopefully fall in love with. Something that will take a lot of time and effort. That is something of which I still don't know the full extent.

But as an unpublished writer, I would say just about anything is worth getting published - getting that first offer of someone wanting to print your book. It's the goal of every unpublished offer. And yes, there will be consequences after that. Things like deadlines and working under contract and have immensely more pressure than before. But I think writers need to remember they were once unpublished, as I am. That they once would have given an arm and a leg (Well, maybe just a leg? Arms are useful for writing.) to get published. Remember that it's totally worth it. 


So, I'm curious: What do you guys think about the pressures of writing under a deadline and a contract? Is this something you've considered before? Have you experienced something like this? Leave a comment with your thoughts.