Long time no see.  When we last spoke, I was reading The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn and I wondered if it would live up to the hype.  Well, it did. I was curious about how I’d respond to a novel without action right off the bat since it’s what I’ve come to expect with most thrillers.  This one had a steady build up of suspense. The author took his time letting us get to know his leading lady, Anna Fox, and I’m so glad he did. Since it was told from her point of view, I had the pleasure of getting to know Anna – empathizing with her, getting annoyed with her, and wondering whether or not I could trust her.  I love how a good suspense grips me and takes me along for the ride. This novel definitely did that. I can’t wait for Mr. Finn’s follow up novel. And this is what freaks me out as a writer.

You publish your first novel and it’s met with praise and great reviews.  Bookstores load their tables and shelves with your novel, strategically placing them near the entrance in order to attract potential buyers to pick up a copy.  Readers devour it, write glowing reviews on Goodreads, Amazon, etc., then pass it onto their friends (Not me. I don’t loan out my books because I’m a book whore and I mean that in the nicest way possible.).  The stage has been set for your second hit. I mean, you wrote this awesome story, so it’s only natural to follow up with another one. Right? Ugh, the pressure!

I haven’t written a novel let alone published one and the thought of success, or the lack thereof, is a little daunting.  How do these authors who’ve experienced first-novel success handle the pressure of meeting everyone’s expectations with their next book?  The answer lies in the fact that they can’t please everyone. It’s impossible, so why try? For those who manage to get from under the heavy hand of expectation (theirs and everyone else’s) they focus on their love of writing.  They dive back in to do what they love for the readers who read their first book, followed their social media or blog. They have no control of how their words will be received. They can only control what they can do which is write.

For the ones who’ve written their first novel, but haven’t published it, and those who haven’t written a novel at all, we dream our first novel will be successful, whatever that may mean.  We have our own expectations of the potential success our first-born will achieve. However, we need to be careful not to put the cart before the horse. Thinking about the end result in a way that’s motivating is fine, but it can’t be the main focus.   

Writing is challenging enough without other people’s expectations.  So there’s no point in getting ahead of ourselves, succumbing to the pressure of what could be.  Our primary responsibility (putting words on the page) forces us to expose ourselves to the rest of the world.  We hope and pray our readers will love our stories. We want positive reviews. We dream of publishing book after book after book.  We want success. There’s nothing wrong with achieving our goals as long as we do it for the right reasons – our love for telling stories and for our loyal readers.  We can’t allow the pressure of first-time success or repeat success stifle our creativity, our voice.

As a reader I can’t wait for A.J. Finn’s next book, but as a writer I hope he enjoys the journey he’s on and continues to ride it out on his terms.  That goes for all the writers out there – published and unpublished. We are a special breed. Not everyone can do what we do. We need to celebrate our victories (big and small), enjoy the high, keep creating, and don’t let the pressure stop us from putting words on the page.  Our stories are too valuable to stay hidden.