February 5th, 2005
Going through my archives I found this post which I wrote on 8/2/04. Here’s what I said:
We all have dreams. Mine is simply to have a multibook contract, to have an editor read my work and think, “She knows the craft and I trust her to keep knowing it.â€Â
A swift kick in the pants is what I got reading that post. Be careful what you wish for, because you just might get it. I did and then I let the deadline screw me all up. 
My blog is a great thing because it reminds me of where I’ve been and pushes me toward where I want to go. 
Saskia,
I’m not sure how I’ll handle selling unwritten works in the future. Once I get out from under this, I’m really going to think about that.
No negotiating the deadlines. My editor asked me how long it would take to finish and I guesstimated. I just didn’t realize that sometimes inspiration, motivation, and imagination don’t want to cooperate.
I like your thinking, Jordan, cushions sound comfy
I’ve always set myself personal deadlines as an attempt at professionalism, but it’s very different being on a real one.
That contract certainly changes the mindset whether we like it or not. It does get easier, says the person trying to get another contract.
You do figure out how long it takes you to write something. I tend to pad the time in case all hell breaks loose and I can’t figure the story out. Of course, my initial deadlines were far enough in advance I didn’t have to worry about it. In fact, looking back I should have taken more time. I would’ve been less stressed. LOL!:smile: Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda…
That’s lovely – a dream come true!! With the deadlines, were you able to negotiate and (if so) did you find it hard to know how long things would take you under the new circumstances?