Mags vs. the panic attack

I’m sorry I don’t have a more zippy post to share with you this month. You see, a couple weeks ago, my publisher gave the verbal green light on books 2 & 3 in a proposed series. Yay! Then he hit me with a deadline that made me flinch just the teensiest bit.

Now, I’m sure I’ve mentioned this before, but I’m one of those freaks who loves a deadline. So I didn’t wig out. Much.

Here’s a little glimpse at how the last couple of weeks have gone for me:

10) First, I totally played it cool. After all, I’m the one who wanted this thing to happen, Right? “Oh yeah, I can totally do that.”

9) Then my editor and I did a little counting backwards. Did I mention that math was never my strong suit? “So if they want the final 10 weeks, then you need the polished draft of the book I haven’t written yet in 6 weeks? Hm. This means my crit partner needs is in 4, so I have about 28 days to spit out 50k…that’s 1785 words per day if I write every day. Well, okay. That’s not bad…Kind of like doing NaNo. I’ve done NaNo six times. I can do this.”

8) Stare at blank screen: OMG! This is just as crazy as doing NaNo!

7) The honeymoon phase: These characters are a hoot. I love them

6) The get to the honeymoon-type action phase: OMG. I wish these two would just stop bantering and do it already, we’re almost halfway through!

5) Seven chapters in and I realize I’ve strayed from proposed synopsis: Why are there no Cheez-Its in this house?

4) Buy ALL the Cheez-Its. Inhale. Inhale Cheez-Its. I can do this.

3) Man, I love it when my project word count meter starts to turn yellowish green. What? I still have 4 chapters worth of story to write? Well, hey, it’s easier to cut scenes then to have to add, right?

2) The get over the honeymoon-type action phase: Great. They’ve finally stopped yapping enough to do the deed, and now I have to find a way to blow up this good thing they’ve got going on.

Photograph DoD Public Domain

1) Ah, I see the finish line…can I make it? Where did all those Cheez-Its go?

How about you? Do you work well under pressure, or do you need time to work things through at your own pace?

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