I think the Publishing industry may be growing extremely near-sighted. So are writers. Yesterday is some fuzzy, forgotten place, tomorrow is too far away to worry about, so we’re all focused on the now. The right this minute now. The Twitter now.
With no health care, no benefits, no job security, and the ever-present, incredible amount of talented competition out there, writing professionally has always been a high-stress job. Today writers are also expected to produce multiple books per year, have a platform, aggressively promote their books, finance their own marketing and navigate through the always-rocky waters of the internet. Is it any wonder that the professional stress has gone from constant to unbelievable?
We have editors telling us that we must have a web site, a FaceBook page, a MySpace page, a blog, a newsletter, an author page on five different bookseller sites, mailouts, bookmarks, book videos on YouTube and giveaways and contests. Add to that reading all the feeds we’re supposed to subscribe to and commenting on all the other industry blogs out there, making the conference rounds, doing the writer org things, holding booksignings, giving luncheon speeches, submitting books for awards, and oh, let’s not forget about updating the Twitter account every five minutes in case someone wants to know what we’re writing right now—
Does any pro who does all this crap really have time to write anymore? Or is it something they try to squeeze in between logins and updates? Sometimes I wonder.
I won’t debate the merits of social media or self-promotion; I’m more concerned with the negative effect trying to keep up with all these demands is having on writers. Many pros I know are already coping with significant health problems: migraines, ulcers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, carpal tunnel syndrome, weight issues and various forms of mental and physical fatigue. The majority of these are related in some way to the biz of being a writer. I’m not going to suggest that working in the industry is killing us, but all that pressure is not doing us any favors, either. Since publishers have plenty of eager, willing talent to choose from, they’re really not worried about our personal longevity. If anyone is going to look after us and see to it that we stay in good shape to write, it has to start at home, with us.
Everyone should know what they need to do to combat stress in their personal lives, but I believe that destressing your professional life is just as important. It’s fairly simple, too; with all the demands being made of us we have to start making intelligent choices instead of trying to do everything. Here are some of my ideas on how to do that:
Put the work first. No matter what some social media junkie tells you, writing is your job, and doing it should be the number one priority in your professional life. If it’s not, you need to change things so that it is.
Accept that you can’t do it all. Look at what you’re trying to do, and choose to do what you like most, what you can reasonably handle doing, and what provides the maximum amount of career benefits. And then dump the rest. It’s better to do one thing very well than a hundred things badly.
Learn to say No. I know it’s scary. I know editors and agents can be intimidating when they want you to do something that “all the other authors are doing.” I know you’re worried about your future employment. But if you let them, they will run you into the ground, murmur how sorry they are as they step over your twitching body and move onto the next writer. You don’t get brownie points for being the most cooperative writer, you just put yourself in a position for them to make more demands of you. It’s a little easier to give them a polite no when you remember that to them you are basically a disposable commodity that can be replaced with a single e-mail or phone call.
Live the writing life you want. If you love going to conferences because they rejuvenate you, go and enjoy them. If you hate booksignings, don’t have them. If your blog is way more fun for you to update than your web site, shut down the web site. If you’re so shy that it makes you ill to get up in front of a room full of people and wax poetic about the fruits of your labors, don’t even go there. You should be happy to go to work every day, and the only way to do that is to eliminate as many things as you can from your job that make you unhappy.
Don’t make the biz your entire life. It isn’t, or it shouldn’t be. Unplug. Spend time with your significant other, your spouse, your kids, your loved ones. Avoid online train wrecks and jackasses who piss you off. Take up a non-writing hobby. Get involved in sports, plant a garden, take long walks. Weave baskets if you have to, but don’t try to be a 24/7 pro. You don’t want your eulogy to be “He kept his Twitter account updated.”
Get the help you need now. If you’re already suffering work-related health issues, see your doctor or therapist. I can almost guarantee you that ignoring the migraines, the wrist pain, the insomnia, etc. is not going to make them go away, and may lead to more serious medical conditions.
Destressing and taking care of yourself is one of the best investments you can make in your professional future. If that means taking some time to seriously evaluate your writing life and weeding out whatever causes you the most grief, do it. Then you’ll not only be happy to go to work every day, you’ll be in a better position to keep doing that for a long, long time.
Related links:
A Dozen Proven Stress Busters by Harriet Meyerson
John Carpi’s Psychology Today article Stress: It’s Worse Than You Think
Ten ways from the American Heart Association to Fight Stress With Healthy Habits, or download their information sheet on how to manage stress here.
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Thanks for this, Lynn. Balance, balance, balance. It’s the constant struggle.
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Agreed, LJ — and there are hidden benefits to destressing your writing life, too. One thing I’ve noticed since I gave up trying to be the be-it-all, do-it-all author is the quality of the work I’m producing. Not having all that stress to cope with seems to give me a lot more creative energy, and I’m more focused and producing much better first drafts.
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Oh, man… ditto. Double ditto.
Yes…yes… and yes. I’m learning this one, slowly, but surely.
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A timely reminder given NaNo looms like a tidal wave, ready to crash over the unsuspecting.
But I’ll try to remember to take time out to water the veggie patch. I don’t want to be labelled a murderer of zucchini.
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The zucchini deserves to live!
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I’ve found the veggie patch to be an excellent stress reliever. As for the zucchini, I shall hug them and love them and call them ‘George’.
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Saying No is one of the hardest things to do because so many of our peers will say Yes to anything publishers want them to do, even when it’s demeaning or foolish. I still remember this argument I had with an irate editor who could not fathom why I refused to put on a costume and parade around as one of my characters at a con. She only backed off when I offered to make her a costume so she could do it in my place.
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OMG, the same thing happened to me… I said no, I thought it was unprofessional. Then I got a lecture about how anything you do to promote your book is professional. I said, Um, no it’s not…seriously…
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At least you’re young and pretty enough to pull it off, Carrie. I can think of nothing more pathetic than an old gray mare like me trotting around in some E.T. or vampire chick costume.
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The costume things can work-for some authors. If the authors are comfortable doing it, if they know how to work it, so to speak, they can make it fun. but the costumes won’t work for all authors, and I don’t think they are appropriate for all venues.
But if an author feels like an idiot, some of that is probably going to come through to others.
Which isn’t really the image one wants to present.
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*blush*
Thank you.
But the person in question wanted me to wear fur and be a werewolf. Pretty had nothing to do with it. *sigh*
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Amen. There’s simply too much work to do it all, so we have to admit that and give up.
Do some things not at all and others badly. While focusing priority on the really important stuff.
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Admitting it is so difficult, though; they put us in a position to feel guilty if we’re not 24/7 writers. Over the years I’ve just learned that what we do doesn’t make a difference. You can agree to everything they expect, give 200%, even bankrupt yourself trying to pay for all this stuff, and it means nothing. No matter how hard you’ve worked, when you need their support, they will drop you without a second thought.
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Coming out of lurkdom to thank you for confirming my worst fears yet putting my mind at ease. Too often and too easily the supposed-to-do becomes all you do, and there’s no end to that.
Famous last words: You’ll never find my face in the Book, or on MySpace for that matter.
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Famous last words: You’ll never find my face in the Book, or on MySpace for that matter.
Stick to your resolutions, my friend. One of the worst decisions I ever made as an author was to bow to the pressure to have an author bio photo made. Never again!
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This is good advice for even a newbie like myself. I have read all that I can find on the biz and see so much on building a platform and having a strong online presence. I know that I can’t do all of the things suggested, write and still be a decent wife and mom. However, being new makes me want to agree to anything an agent or editor tells me so that they will work with me. Balance, it has to be possible even if you are new.
Best part of that post was the idea of Lynn dressing up.
I would have like to see that!
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I think the last time I dressed up was Halloween 1972. Mom made my costume herself; I was the I Dream of Jeannie girl. She probably still has some blackmail photos.
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Wow it was like you are in my head. I wondered the same things about how can you find time to write if you are doing everything else but that. When I see some authors all over the place at this and that I often wondered how do they find time to write.
I’ve never been one to do as others supposedly do. I follow my own thing and it works for me. The most important thing to me is to write. And that is what I do.
My way of destressing is a nap. LOL. I am a huge fan of naps with some music playing in the background. As for the finding things outside of writing. I’ve learned to take time for me and do other things I love.
Also have to say I have read through you and the other authors here various blog post and am loving the info and candidness. Thanks for sharing.
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I know a lot of authors who seem to be excellent multi-taskers, and can juggle a dozen non-writing projects while working on their novels. I am not one of those fortunate souls, and the older I get the more I feel the need to focus 100% of my attention on the writing.
Thanks for the kind words for me and the other Genreality authors. One thing we’re all committed to is sharing what we know about the business of being writers, and it’s good to hear that it helps.
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Social media exhausts me. I’ve started blogging again more regularly (easing back) and I’d forgotten how much fun I actually have blogging. More fun than all the other stuff…
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I’d love to see more writers doing the same, Steph. We used to have so much fun as a blogging community, before MySpace and Facebook and Twitter consumed everyone.
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Maybe we can take back blogging while everyone’s all distracted with Twitter and the like…I’d like that. It would be nice and fun, just the way it used to be.
Steph, nostalgic for the good old days…
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Lynn, we must be getting some of the same inputs, because I’ve had a rant along these lines brewing for weeks. (Mine’s more about spending outrageous amounts of money for promotion…as in…don’t.) The problem is my essay keeps devolving into incoherent rambling born of frustration.
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I think the most frustrating aspect of trying to tackle some of these sticky subjects is that we already know most of the writers out there are going to ignore what we’ve learned from experience. But I keep thinking if I get through to ten or five or even one other writer, and get them to seriously look at what they’re doing, it’s worth all the snide remarks and dismissive comments.
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The only thing is that for a lot of us, experience is the best teacher. I’ve lost track of how many people have said, “it doesn’t get any easier after you sell a book.”
But until I sold one, and then two, so on, so on… ? I didn’t believe it.
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This is so timely, Lynn, and thanx for detailing everything. You’ve pointed out promotional stuff that I’d never even thought of. Its was exhausting just reading it.
Myself? I love conferences and certain aspects of promotion but I hope to never make it the end-all, be-all of my writing career.
I do have an added advantage of a sister who is more than willing to help me with any promotional mailings, etc. She’s handicapped and loves the idea of being able to feel useful. Plus – repayment is taking her out to dinner periodically.
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What a great way to share your writing life with your sister, Liz. My kids are pretty terrific about helping me with giveaways, mailouts and toting packages for me, especially during my busiest times, and all they ever want in return is a batch of homemade Toll House cookies.
Conferences can be a lot of fun for writers who enjoy them and make the most out of them. If that’s what you love, and you can afford the cost, I hope you will continue to go to them. You should make as many fun memories as you can; it helps balance all the grief, anxiety and hard work of being a pro.
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I had no idea how tough it is to be a writer today. It makes me grateful that I don’t have a lick of writing talent. It gives me a better appreciation for the “many extras” that go into your wonderful books, and all the talented writers out there.
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Readers are our silent partners in all this, Cats. You’re who we really work for, and your support and enthusiasm keeps us going. We couldn’t do this — we’d have no reason — if it weren’t for you.
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I agree wholeheartedly.