So I’m running a bit late with this post, and with a whole bunch of other things. This got me thinking about deadlines. In writing, we seem to have a deadline for everything. Contests, publishers, editors, agents, submissions. It’s one never ending deadline.
And it only gets worse the more successful you become.
The more you sell, the more deadlines you have with all of the above mentioned people. You can be writing toward one deadline, editing toward another, and past deadline for a third all at the same time. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to deal with all the deadlines that come hand in hand with even a modicum of success in this business.
The question for today is how do YOU deal with deadlines? Do you wear them like badges of honor or see them as just one more thing on your overflowing to-do pile? Also, this brings up the idea that once you “succeed” it’s not about writing for yourself and working out this crazy obsession called “writing,” it’s about external motivators like money and deadlines. Is it possible that deadlines can kill success by making a writer churn out less than their best work?
August 21st, 2006 at 7:39 pm
I love deadlines. I work my best with them. Multiple ones even. I suppose that makes me a badge of honor girl. How do they work. Well, usually I’ll get a deadline, and then create my own that’s due a helluva lot sooner
Like my shifter book isn’t due for a few months, but I’m halfway done now!
August 21st, 2006 at 9:47 pm
Oh I whine about them. All the time. Every day…….
But I need them or I wouldn’t KEEP AT IT.
August 21st, 2006 at 9:56 pm
I work best with deadlines. Otherwise I’d procrastinate my life away lol! Like Shelli, I try to come in before deadline. I might be pushing that the rest of this year though lol!
August 21st, 2006 at 10:25 pm
I’m with Loribelle and Shelli but then I don’t write terribly fast these days so sooner is better than later. I also try to leave space for the ever-inevitable WTF HAPPENED TO MY PLOT meltdown.
August 22nd, 2006 at 2:38 am
Yeah, I give myself deadlines and drive myself crazy if I don’t keep up with them.
August 22nd, 2006 at 5:50 am
I haven’t had much experience with deadlines — yet. I expect that should change fairly soon.
That being said, the one deadline I did have, I ended up needing to rework the entire story because it just wasn’t working. Granted, this was a set of short stories, which is a bit different than a novel, but I swear, I spent the last few days zonked on adrenaline and caffeine.
August 22nd, 2006 at 5:23 pm
I think that, yes, of course it’s possible for success to kill creativity. I think it’s up to us to keep working on writing quality fiction. Sometimes that means we can’t jump on the next hot project. I’ve had to tell myself that several times. I’m already booked up.
But I like deadlines as that little edge of panic keeps me writing when I might otherwise slack off.
August 24th, 2006 at 1:13 am
I love deadlines. I’m a “got it in right at the deadline” kinda gal. If I didn’t have them, I’d procrastinate my life away. Perhaps I should give my laundry pile a deadline - maybe it would get done before the whole family is looking for clean undies.
August 24th, 2006 at 12:52 pm
um…the undie-holler IS my laundry deadline, Lisa
I like deadlines. The ones I impose on myself don’t work, I need them to come from an outside source. Preferably a source that can cause me serious angst if I don’t follow through…