The Thing About (Self-imposed) Deadlines

and a big announcement

Hi y’all, thanks for dropping in this week! I’ve been over here typing at a furious pace to finish a writing project. In fact, I’ll just tell you about it down below so LET’S GO

First things first – a big thank you to The Thing About That Thing’s latest paid subscriber, Elena! I happen to know this nice person, so when I tell you she is nice you can totally believe me. She’s also clearly a very smart person, since she reads this newsletter. Just like you, dear reader! You are in good company here. Thanks again, Elena!

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I’m working on a deadline. Albeit a self-imposed one, but that’s often how it goes when you’re an indie author. There is no agent or publisher breathing down your neck to see if you’ve been hard at work on your third draft or just lounging in the south of France with your advance money. So if you’re an indie author and you want to be like me and not write a new novel for three years, that’s your business. I suppose if you’re the kind of writer that has readers who are ravenous for your next in series, you might have a problem if you wait too long. But I have a small reader base who either seem to be very patient or afraid to tell me to hurry up.

I did (self)publish two collections of 100-word stories since 2020, but haven’t had the bandwidth to sit down and type out a full-length story. I started one last year but it became such a slog, I finally gave up a few months ago. You know how you start something you’re excited about, then it loses its joy, but you keep going for the sole reason that you said you would do it? Then it loses even more joy, and before you know it you’re doing five loads of laundry a day and ironing your kitchen towels just so you can say you’re too busy to get to your “passion project.” Yeah, it’s like that.

Why do we do this – slog through things that don’t bring us joy? Sometimes I guess it’s handy. There are things that we really do have to get done, like the laundry (ironing kitchen towels, not so much). There are work-related deadlines that our income depends on. We have some obligations because other people are depending on us. That drive and determination to finish what we start or what we’re expected to finish and start, is good.

But is it always good?

Some people start reading a book, decide they don’t like it, and keep reading it anyway till the bitter, disappointing end. Some people give up after twenty pages and move on.

Some people insist on finishing that bag of dreadful Aldi organic coffee beans because they paid for it, dammit, and they’re bloody well going to finish it. Others stealthily deposit the crappy stuff into the trash can and go buy better coffee.

I guess I could argue I need to write a book so that hopefully people will buy it and I can keep paying for all that laundry detergent. But writing a book is a form of art, and if there is no joy in your art, there is no point, right? People will notice. And they’ll be like, what is that junk? It has no soul! Then they’ll tell their friends about how they bought this promising new book, got twenty pages in, and gave up because there was no umph in it.

And that’s why I don’t think people will want to read AI-generated fiction. Where is the heart of it? One possible exception is all those people who enjoy alpha-male, animal-shifter erotica books. I’ve edited a fair share of them, and I’d argue there’s not much “heart” in those things. (If you are a reader of those books, I’m sorry if I’ve got this wrong. Please email me and explain, although I’m pretty sure I know why you’re reading them.)

The real reason I need to write a book is because I am a writer.

They (the smart people) say that people on the spectrum can have a difficult time defining self. I think I’ve mentioned that before, and maybe I’ll do a whole “thing” on it someday, but for now sorry for the repeated info. When I ask myself the question “who am I?” or more accurately, “what is my purpose?” the answer, if I listen closely, is I am a writer.

Other answers do come to me from time to time, if I’m not listening very closely, such as:

I am a savvy real estate investor

I am a screenplay writer

I am an independent billionaire

I am too old to do anything worthwhile, therefore

I am going to regret eating that whole tub of ice cream

A couple years ago, I started writing serialized short stories for my newsletter, “Ace Writes,” that comes out monthly for readers of my fiction. My attention span was short and I couldn’t manage a whole novel, but breaking down a funny little mystery caper into six “episodes” was doable. It’s quite fun, and is way less daunting than sitting down to create an outline for a whole novel.

I’m not sure many newsletter readers go and read those short stories, but I love writing them anyway because … it brings me joy.

But, being self-employed and really needing a lot of laundry detergent, I had been wondering what I could do with these stories after they’ve been published in the newsletters. The other day it hit me: I will expand them into cozy mysteries.

“Cozy mystery” is, if you ask me, a dumb name, but it fits. The stories I’ve written are funny, less focused on the crime, and rarely (if ever) have a murder in them. They’re kind of like clean, non-violent Carl Hiaasen meets Tina Fey on Mr. Roger’s old block.

Tina Fey as Liz Lemon in 30 Rock. My hero. Also this happens to be what my latest drivers license photo looks like.

After feeling adrift for a few years, I once again feel like I have a clear writing purpose. I’m starting with something that was fun and easy—a six-part short story—and will expand it into something that’s marketable as an actual book.

Which brings me back around to meeting deadlines. I set some goals for myself: to finish the draft, give a few beta readers a week to tear it apart, then four days to rewrite, then it’s off to my editor who is also my business partner in our editing business. (Which is so handy!)

I’m excited about it. I’m motivated. I will have something to show for my work soon. And best of all, I’m having fun and enjoying getting out of bed in the morning — more so than I have for quite some time.

I’m gonna finish this one.

The Blingsters cozy mystery comes out August 1, everywhere I can manage to upload it.

Are you working on any passion projects? Books? Art projects? How are they going? Is there anything that you’re slogging through that maybe you can let go? Leave a comment to share!

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Thanks for reading!

Thank you for taking the time to hang out with me here, I appreciate it. And please feel free to send this on to anyone you think might like to read it too!