How do you eat an elephant?

Approaching daunting tasks

My new book, The Child at the Window, comes out in three months’ time. I really enjoy the run up to publication: planning the launch, writing articles, giving talks….These are the nice bits:  the hard work is done and now I can sit back and enjoy the fruits of my labours. Or can I? What I should be doing is writing the next book. I signed a two-book contract. The Child at the Window is book five, now I need to crack on with book six. I have around ten months to write it although that’s not actually very long, seeing as I have to do all the research and write several drafts. I need to get going! But the thought of coming up with another hundred thousand words (the length is actually in my contract) is very daunting. As daunting as eating an elephant!

My children’s head teacher used the elephant analogy every year around exam time. I thought it was apt. Of course we can’t eat elephants in one sitting – but we could perhaps munch a small pachyderm steak (apologies to vegetarians). Actually the thought of eating an elephant appals me, but you get the idea. If you banish the whole project from your mind and concentrate on one achievable task, you find you can do it. After a while, you realise you’re making good headway – what seemed like an impossible undertaking is actually being achieved, bit by bit.

In writing terms, you can break a work-in-progress up into daily targets. When I’m properly underway, I find one thousand words works well for me, although every writer is different. At the moment, as I’m easing my way into a new manuscript, I’m warming up with a few short paragraphs. It’s not much, but it’s heading in the right direction, and that’s the main thing. And of course, I need to build in treats – chocolate, a TV programme I’ve recorded, coffee with a friend – whatever works. But only when I’ve done my work for the day. It’s a reward, not a right!

Okay – that elephant had better watch out. Its days are numbered!