As we close in on Christmas and I think about all of the last minute tasks I must finish, it reminds me of writing deadlines. Have you noticed that most writing projects come with deadlines? Sometimes the deadlines are dictated by a client, editor or publisher, but most often they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re self-imposed. <\/p>\n
How do you approach deadlines? Do you wait until the last possible second and then scramble to finish the article or chapter? Do you pace yourself\u00e2\u20ac\u201dsetting reasonable goals all along the way? Maybe you rush into the project with gusto so you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have plenty of time to complete it should something disrupt your schedule. <\/p>\n
I think I use a combination of these methods. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve learned that the approach also depends on the project. While some writing projects need concentrated attention, others can be accomplished in snippets of time between other writing projects. Timing is important, too. I have to admit that there are days when my brain just won\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t cooperate. I might want to spend the morning promoting my new book or editing a client\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s memoir, but I just can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t concentrate on that particular project. For me, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s usually a case of burn out rather than writer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s block. But it does no good to forge ahead when the going is slow and painful. What is a writer to do? <\/p>\n
I turn my attention to something else. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll work on my cat story book, send out a few query letters, organize my office or go putter in the garden. When I return to the project an hour or a few days later, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m refreshed and able to proceed and produce.<\/p>\n
What is a deadline to you\u00e2\u20ac\u201da friend or a foe? Do you depend on writing deadlines and welcome them? Or do they drive you crazy? <\/p>\n
I appreciate deadlines. I like having some sort of parameter within which to work. This month we have a huge deadline. Tomorrow is Christmas. Are you on schedule with your tasks? Will you be ready to meet your commitments? Or have you let some traditions go by the wayside again this year because you just couldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t get a \u00e2\u20ac\u0153round tuit?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d <\/p>\n
Whether you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re highly organized and on schedule or falling a little behind, don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t forget to order your copy of The Right Way to Write, Publish and Sell Your Book <\/em>at the prepublication discount. This special offer ends December 31, 2005.<\/p>\n