DEADLINE DIARRHEA
OK—so you know we’re finishing another book right? Well yesterday was our deadline. We could tell, because we both had a case of deadline diarrhea. Still don’t know how it happens. It was nothing we ate. Well there’s stress and tension and pressure and no sleep, but that doesn’t count, does it? So there we were, writing and wearing a path from the office to the bathrooms—fortunately there are two of them. There were intermittent hives too—at the moment Virginia’s got a lovely one, right between the eyes.
You really thinks it’s all under control, and damn, by the sixth book we should be used to it. Then you get that rumbling in the gut and nobody should stand in your way.
But we lived through the day—in large part because our editor doesn’t need the book until Friday. So we took several deep breaths, regrouped—even took a little nap. We’re still at the machine today but some of the hysteria has passed—at least until tomorrow.
Labels: authors, books, deadlines, novel, writer, writers, writing
2 Comments:
So it never gets any easier? Bummer.
Sorry to burst the bubble--but this is book number six for us and--no it doesn't get better. At least no one was hallucinating Elvis (the first book) this time, so things have improved--sort of. But the pressure is still on...probably because we were "those kids" in school--you know the good doobees, so the idea of being late or disappointing the teacher is still lurking in our psyches. Maybe one day we'll be like Grisham or Nora Roberts or Toni--we bet they get to set their own deadlines! Until then we toil away!
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