Anna Godbersen: Deadlines

I've been anticipating the 20th of November with joy and anxiety for some time now. Joy because it's the publication day of my first book, which means that it will be out in the world, not just as an idea or an Amazon page, but as a real physical object. And as a physical object, The Luxe lives up to its title: The chapter numbers are done in gorgeous curlicues, the endpapers are classy black, and the cover is folds and folds of an epic pink ball gown. It is truly a beautiful thing. The anxiety I feel has nothing to do with this book, and everything to do with a date ten days later, which is the deadline for Rumors, the sequel to The Luxe. Like 99% of writers, I have a hard time getting started, procrastinate in idiotic ways, am still working hard all the way to the finish line, and even then still find myself staring out the window when I really, really need to have a killer idea.

As a teenager--and as a college student, and even since then--people have teased me for this staring-out-the-window, dreamy, dippy quality I have. This has always bothered me more than anything else anybody could say, and it's in fact a mischaracterization--I have an excellent, almost obsessive memory for dates and numbers and the things people say, and though I never give the impression of being sharp, I tend to leave any situation with a fistful of meaningful details. These are writerly skills, of course. And when I am feeling most anxious about how many words I have failed to write in a day, I like to remind myself how productive staring out the window can be. At this stage of the game I go to sleep wondering what Henry Schoonmaker will do tomorrow, and I stand at the stove waiting for the tea to boil thinking about Lina Broud's emotional state.

This is a fine line, of course. As with all creative pursuits, there has to be a balance between letting something happen in an organic way and cold, hard discipline. But I wonder what things you all find yourself doing when you procrastinate? Do people ever call you dreamy? I'd love to know, and I hope you check out and enjoy The Luxe! And come visit me at my own myspace page, myspace.com/annagodbersen, when you get the chance.

Anna Godbersen
Author of The Luxe

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