Seven Things To Do After You Finish Writing Your Book
Newsflash. Writing a book is hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it. It takes a lot out of you mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. And that’s all before you send it off to your First Reader. Finishing a book can pretty much consume most of your waking hours and it’s easy to feel a little lost as you readjust to the world.
So, what do you do when you no longer have a book to write? Read on:
Do Nothing – No, really. “Do nothing” can come in the form of flopping on the couch to stare mindlessly at a “Law and Order” marathon for a few hours (doesn’t matter which entry in the franchise you go with, any one will do), clearing out all those “Real Housewives” episodes out of your DVR, binging Netflix, laying by the pool or dozing off in a lawn chair in your backyard. Shut down your brain and let it recharge for a minute or two.
Clean the House – Remember that scene in “Romancing the Stone” when Kathleen Turner’s novelist character is so engrossed in finishing the draft of her book, she lets her house go so much to pot, she can’t even find a square of toilet paper anywhere in the house? Happens to the best of us. Bust out the Mr. Clean and Clorox wipes and Windex and get to scrubbing. It’s highly therapeutic.
Get out of the House – By now, you’re likely sick of looking at your four walls (even if they are finally clean) and you need to get away. Go to a movie, get a massage, hit the beach – whatever – just escape your computer for a while. You’ll be back in front of it soon enough.
Reconnect with Friends and Family – Your relationships have probably taken a back seat during the final push to get the book done, so spend some quality time with friends and family before you descend back into the madness of the next book.
Start the Next Book – Speaking of, start the next book. However, let some time pass before delving into to the next manuscript. It’s fun getting to know a whole new set of characters and tapping into different ideas and storylines. Not to mention, it can give you ideas for revisions to the manuscript you just finished drafting.
Read a Book – Of course, as writers, we should always be reading. However, take this time to read something completely frivolous or totally opposite of what you normally read. Try a beachy read or maybe even something for research purposes.
Work on Your Marketing – Update your web site, add to your Pinterest boards, schedule your tweets, learn Instagram, lay out your promotional plan for the next book. This is a great time to work on all those marketing activities that fell by the wayside while you were on manuscript fumes.
What are some of your favorite things to do after you finish writing a book?
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