For example, the rest of the world seems to be governed by the passing of what we'll call "normal" time; you know, the tedious ticking away of seconds, minutes, hours. But, not so for a writer. A writer's time seems to tick away letter by letter, line by line, page by page, with the speed of his or her clock governed by mood, inspiration, passion, or--in some cases--the lack of it. I'm always amazed by the writer who can tap out a book in 4 to 6 months while some of us struggle over the process to bring just a few pages to life! It's certainly not that we lack fresh ideas for new material...not at all, if anything it's like...some of us are the "microwave" type of writers--quick, fast, and in a hurry, and some of us are the "slow-cooker" type--marinate, saute, and roasting ever so slowly. But, then again, it's not a race, right? Or is it?
This is why I ask: With everyone racing to be the next millionaire author--especially in ebooks--some authors are listing in their blogs that they are working on 10 to 15 books at one time. Now, I'm not one to disclaim what a person states or does, but is that realistic for anyone? And, with the gold-rush urgency to push out the next bestselling ebook before the next author does, and having to sell so many so cheap to make the millions, do we run the risk of skimping on quality to put out the quantity? Granted, I'm as much a multitask-er as anyone and am known to work on several things at one time: Some poetry here, my book there, while gather material for another book in the meantime. But, not 10 to 15 books at one time. Is that even possible? Really? Ideas for that many books, yes! But, to literally work on that many books simultaneously, I'm just not sure. Though, I don't have to be. If one can do it, more power to that person, but just let's not lose our perspective as writers...in an attempt to race the clock.
We're not on anyone's schedule save the one we make for ourselves. Slow down and enjoy the pace. Isn't that one of the perks of being a writer...our own time schedule...no race...no rush! Except for those who have agents and editors with time clocks ticking away...that's different. I'm talking about us indies! Look, we're going to get there...one at a time. I'm so proud of Amanda Hocking...one day I'm bumping into her in an online writing group, and a few weeks later, I'm reading she's a millionaire: I'm like...Wow! But, then I'll read about you, and then you'll read about me and we'll all rejoice together. It's all in the timing: It was simply her time. And, next it will be yours!
