The Projects that Follow After You Type “The End”
Ever Just Get on a Roll?
Recently, I completed a project that has been in the works (i.e. in my head) for a long time. It’s an alternate ending to the book I’m querying, titled Welcome to the Afterlife. I truly began working on it a few months ago, chipping away at it, being deliberate—maybe even a bit cautious. Implementing ideas takes time for me. I like to slip away and think things through, give myself the freedom to noodle before committing to the end product.
Anyway, after I finished writing, I spent the better part of a week reading it through, making edits, catching little details, formatting, proofreading… Whew! I’m done! —But— I wasn’t really done. There was more to this project, and I was eager to start.
Here’s what my to-do list looked like after I typed “The End”:
Outline the key changes and edits (I tracked those as I wrote)
Tweak my query-package components:
Write new synopsis
Craft a more focused one-sentence pitch
Hone the query letter
Update my bio
Clean up my query-tracking spreadsheet
Start a new page for this alt-ending version
Research more agents
Send out a new batch of queries
Update website
The to-do list that pops up after you type “The End” is inevitable. And these things are important to stay on top of even as you draft new works. (Otherwise, it piles up now doesn’t it?) However, I’m the type of gal who thinks these administrative items are rather fun, so when I’m experiencing slow-writing moments, like, maybe I’m letting an idea or concept simmer in my brain a while longer, I turn to one of these tasks, especially if it’s been a hot second since my last tinker.
When Your Life Changes, Your Professional Writing Profile Should Too
I’m not the same writer/editor I was a year ago, and my website didn’t reflect that. The bio I present to agents didn’t reflect that. I didn’t NOT update those things on purpose, time got away from me—daily life, summertime activities, a new job—but the whole manuscript alt-ending felt like a fantastic time to get this type of work done, to really think about who I am now, what I want to present to the world, HOW I want to present myself to the world…
I began by re-reading my website, making small edits that better align to what my writer-life looks like now. I deleted some pages and showcased the ones I’d love for others to read first.
If you don’t have a website, check the bios on your socials—because I updated those too. I feel funny using the word brand, and I don’t subscribe to social media in the way a lot of folks do—but—I recommend making all of these things cohesive. From my Substack “about me” page to my socials, to my website—they all (or they will eventually) say/promote similar things.
How to Stay on Top of Admin Work
Are you a calendar person? Do you prefer iPhone reminders? Believe it or not, as much as I LOVE my day planner, I don’t actually plan when to tinker on these items next. (I know, right? *GASP* The girl who would take a bullet for her day planner doesn’t plan out the admin crap.) Here’s the thing though—I like to let my inner woo-woo tell me when it’s time. Maybe I notice something needs tinkering when I’m sending out a new query, posting a new Substack article, and especially, when there’s something new for me to promote. Maybe I started a new project or completed one!
If you’re not a woo-woo person, like me (at times), I get it. Here’s what you do:
Get on a quarterly maintenance schedule:
Do a read-through of your “about me” profiles (website, query-bios, socials, etc.) And determine whether a change needs to be made.
Get Granular: When you have something in the works, before you’ve even finished it, develop this admin to-do list and keep it on your weekly radar until you’re ready. (Yes, if you’re a paper and pencil girl like me, that means you’re writing out this to-do list every week. I’ll explain why this is important down below.)
When you do make significant changes to these things, and this goes for most anything you’re writing, take a week before celebrating publicly. Here’s what I mean:
Create one reminder 2 or 3 days after you’ve made changes to revisit for proofreading edits. Then, create a second reminder 2 or 3 days after the first (I call this second reminder the excitement buffer). Why?
Fresh eyes help you catch even the smallest errors.
It’s a good practice to sleep on any writerly thing you’re about to widely promote. Don’t let your own excitement cause you to rush the work.
Back to getting granular…
Writing out this admin list each week: Okay, I know the task of writing down or transferring a calendar event from week to week seems tedious, but it’s not! Here’s what it does:
It primes your brain!
Keeps you excited for the finish line!
Reminds you that there’s still work left to do and to budget your future time wisely!
(I used exclamation marks purposefully here, because this is something I do across all projects at various stages, not just admin tasks.) The idea here isn’t to give yourself a weekly due date and a bout of indigestion; it’s quite the opposite! Even if I’m not yet ready to begin these tasks, by writing them down each week, these sparkly little fireflies aren’t swimming in my brain keeping me up at night—and that’s why this practice is really neat.
Writerly Maintenance: The Long and Short of It
We all know this: There’s more to being a writer than simply getting the work written. And since I don’t have an assistant (and I’m assuming you don’t either), this writerly upkeep remains our responsibility. My advice? Don’t neglect the admin stuff, and don’t fall behind on the maintenance. Write a list. Create reminders. Maintain as you go. Don’t rush it.
“The End”
— E