It was all well and good when you were an unknown writer.
A secret writer who wrote privately and didn’t tell anyone about it.
And you took tremendous delight in surprising everyone with your published book.
Their impressed shock was simply exquisite!
But that was months ago.
Now you’re the author of a bestseller.
Now people ask you questions like:
‘Are you scared of not being able to follow it up?’
A question that has crawled in through your ear, nestled in your head and sprouted legs.
‘What if it was just a fluke?’
‘What if I can’t replicate the success?’
‘What if it was beginner’s luck and everyone is going to find out in my second book that I’m actually a terrible writer?’
Well there’s no point in lying to you – it’s a possibility.
Your second book does have the potential to be awful just like your first book had.
There’s no guarantee people are going to like it.
‘But I need it to be good!’
Doesn’t matter.
No one can ensure a hit.
‘But how about people like Paul McCartney, how does he produce hit after hit?’
Has he really? Then how come no one asks him about his new music? How come he’s nearing 80 and people only ask him about songs he wrote in his 20’s?
I think as long as you feel the pressure to be ‘good’ and the desperate need for a hit you’ll never get started and even if you do, you’ll be so filled with anxiety that your work isn’t good enough that odds are you won’t enjoy the process and you won’t produce something you’re proud of.
So I think take the outcome away from those annoying anxiety inducing ‘peers’ and label your next piece a big fat FAIL!
Throw out the question and give this answer with certainty – it will not live up to the success of my last book.
Then, ironically, you’ll start to relax and free yourself from stress which oddly gives you a much better chance of making a second hit.
Why does this work?
Because no idea in its infancy is a great idea. Great ideas mature and develop out of bad ideas and you’re going to ignore and dismiss bad ideas if you’re only searching for fully formed great ideas.
So lower the bar to get started and work your way up from there.
Thomas Duggan 