You’ve been doing a ton of touring lately, and I’m about to start my first big tour. Any advice for me?
Oh boy. Number one: Even though you may want to get work done while on tour, don’t plan on getting anything done. It is exhausting. I’m constantly surprised at how exhausting touring can be. And I’m not an introvert or an extrovert. I’m one of those hybrids in between where I like spending time with people and being around people, but once I do that, I need to go recharge. And it’s hard to find time to recharge when on tour. For me that was the most exhausting part. On my first big tour I did the thing where I met with fans beforehand and did dinners with them, which was great—I love meeting the big Wheel of Time fans and talking over dinner—but it just added on another hour and a half on to me being around people and being exhausted all the time.
Eat healthily, even though it’s going to be hard because they will take you out to eat every night. You know, they’re going to want to feed you steak and pasta every night. Pack yourself with vegetables and fruit because otherwise you will start feeling sick after a week of it.
Try and make sure you have time for you, for recharging, whatever it is that you do to recharge. Don’t let them schedule an interview or a dinner every minute of the day—which, on my tour, they did.
And one of the things I’ve learned is try to keep it to two weeks. They put me on a four-week tour once, and that just laid me flat. I was literally sick many of the days the last two weeks, just physically ill and I can’t even explain why. I’m a hearty person! I don’t usually get that sick. I can usually just keep on going, keep plugging away. I’m known for being slow and steady in my writing and always working, always having stuff done. But the tour was unlike anything else I’d ever experienced. Try to keep it to two weeks and if they want more, do two weeks and take a few weeks’ break and then do two more weeks. And eat right.
Thanks much. I’ll try to conserve my energy. I do tend to go overboard when I’m at conventions. I’ll do 14 hours of panels and readings and signings. I’ll have to rein that impulse in and pace myself a bit.
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