How do you deal with deadlines?

Erica Here:

Deadlines. We've all had them. When is that paper due? When is that project due? When is that bill due?

Some people hate the stress of a deadline, and others embrace them. For me, I love having a deadline. I love knowing there is an end date, a goal for which to strive.

When I went through a writing drought a few years ago, the thing that tripped me up the most was not having a deadline, not having a reason to write. Before I was published, the reason to write was to get published. While I had contracts, the goal was to meet (and for me to beat) my deadlines. But when those contracts dried up, suddenly, I had no focus, no goal, no pressure to write.

And I floundered a bit. I didn't know what to work on, what to try. So I when my agent asked what she could do to help, I said, "Give me a deadline."

Voila! A goal to aim for. It helped me tremendously. (And I turned in the ms ahead of time. :) )



I have a few strategies for dealing with a deadline:

1. Plan ahead, but not too tightly. 

When I have a deadline on the calendar, I estimate approximately how many words per day I need to write in order to finish a first draft and have time to edit. But then I don't follow it too strictly. Because life happens. I know there will be days when I far exceed that word count, but I also know there will be days when I don't write at all.

2. Think about my story when I'm not writing. Keep the story fresh and in the forefront.

While I'm driving somewhere, while I have downtime waiting for an appointment, while I'm quilting. Keeping the story fresh in my mind means when I do sit down to write, I know what I want to say.

3. Keep evaluating and updating the plan.

Be flexible, but be responsible, too. I know some writers who, the week before their deadline, write ten thousand words a day, shut out the world, and just make it under the deadline before the clock strikes 12. I know that under those circumstances, I would hate that pressure, and that I wouldn't produce my best work. I know that I like to finish a first draft and edit it to the best of my ability before I turn it in. I adjust the plan and what I need to do as I move through the calendar.

4. Keep people informed of my progress.

This is mostly my family, but also includes my agent. When my family knows a deadline is approaching, or if I tell them I need to lay down some serious word-count, they pitch in to help and they keep distractions to a minimum. They encourage and ask how I'm doing.

Keeping my agent in the loop means if there is ever a need to communicate with an editor about a project, she has up-to-date information to pass along.

So, how do you deal with deadlines? Do you like them? Do you hate them? Do you find them helpful or a distraction? 








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