On episode 79 of the WRITER 2.0 Podcast I discussed the sophomore writing slump. In addition to speaking about my own experience, I examine the following quotes:
From Edward Nawotka at Publishing Perspectives:
“Personally, I think that in many cases, the slump does exist. But is easily explained: An author will spend much of their young adult and adult life honing that first published novel, most likely with a number of false starts and/or inferior manuscripts sitting sitting in a drawer somewhere. The aggregate time, effort, and emotion that goes into that first novel far surpasses the one or two years they’re typically given to deliver a follow-up. It only makes sense that the second book may be somewhat anemic when compared with first and is entirely excusable.”
And, from Theresa MacPhail at Chronicle Vitae:
“Novelists often talk about the dreaded “sophomore slump” — that seemingly interminable period after publishing a first book and before beginning a second. There is much camaraderie and empathy and doling out of advice, since most successful writers have been there. The slump is said to be much worse if the first book has been a relative success; the pressure is on for the next book to be even better. As you might imagine, the anxiety produced by such high expectations only exacerbates the writer’s block that goes hand in hand with a sophomore slump.”
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