Clean Now, Write Later
Happened to be in Twickenham Library yesterday getting a DVD for my son just when a talk was about to start on how to write a best seller. I nipped upstairs, handed over my two pound coin and slipped into a chair in the corner. A round of questions bounced around the room on where we were at with our products. Most on the concept stage and number of hands dwindled to just two (mine included) on having a pitch package ready. Mine's been ready for a few years now. I am embarrassed. Why haven't I sent it out?
Two things -
(1) Confidence. Although I know the novel is perfectly readable and does what I want (an easy holiday read), I keep thinking my pitching sucks. Hey I couldn't market a chocolate bar let alone myself. As for branding? Despite being uber cool in my head, on paper I am just a working mum from the suburbs.
(2) Time. I finished my first draft of my book in 2008. It's been redrafted a few times since, sent to a handful of agents in 2011 and I am half way through my second with three other novels plotted out (even outline of chapters). Sounds lazy, right? Well, life has got in the way. I work a long day, commute, do school runs and homework, mother two kids (and their dad), run a house, cook, clean, tidy up, organise the social calendar for the family. I read, travel, shop, walk and occasionally pamper.
I am busy but I don't want to be too busy for my dreams. LJ Sellers wrote a blog on "Write now, clean later" - the only way she could realise her writing dreams (her detective Jackson series is fab by the way, see Amazon Kindle). Can't quite do that as am a neat freak. Got to find time though if only an hour a day. How nice would it be to have a book on the shelf? I am a Capricorn, a goat and I have just set myself another mountain to climb. Ten months til I turn forty. Tick tick tick...