We've all had to write against a deadline. You might not think you have, but really, you have. Remember that English class in high school or grade school where the teacher wanted you to write something before the end of the class or within so many minutes, like "What I Did For Summer Break?" That was writing against a deadline. It had to be done in the slotted time. Now when we think about writing against a deadline in fiction or non-fiction areas that most of are dealing with, it seems like there's more pressure. The editor wants it tomorrow morning, bright and early. Your fan fiction readers want you to have that next chapter out on the archives by Friday, cuz you'd done that before and they expect it. You don't like to let down your readership. But nothing's flowing right, it doesn't sound right or you KNOW its crap. The pressure is mounting, you feel the urge to SCREAM! You're afraid of letting THEM and YOURSELF down.
Wish I had a magic pill to solve this problem (boy don't I!) but alas, there is nothing, but I did find some tips, advise and a funny little article to help us on the way. Hopefully. If you make it to the big time, let us know, eh?
1. Don't feel manipulated by the deadline. Don't let it control you, you control it. Take charge. If you feel pressured and worried about it, then you're starting to let it take control of you. Relax, don't blow the project off, but make yourself believe it's not THAT big of a deal. You'll hopefully start to feel better and things will right themselves.
2. Create mini deadlines, kind of like you do for English papers in college (for those who had to deal with those). Have something like 'have one paragraph in the morning and one in the evening" done every day as a deadline. Or, if you're the type of writer that plots everything out way in advance and uses outlines, use each "tick" of the outline of the chapter or plot as a goal. Shove all the rest of them out of your mind and just concentrate on getting to that one spot. Then the next, then the next and before you know it, it's finished!
3. Outline your story if you can. Put down on paper scenes that are already in your head and how they go in brief explanations. Clear your mind of all those extra thoughts that keep getting in the way of what you need to write at the moment. Yeah Sirius is going to have a rousing row with Snape and you are just ITCHING to write that punch he's going to throw at Snape's nose, but....he has to get to Hogwarts first. So write out the scene, or outline it briefly, getting in those elements on paper that you can "see" in your mind right now. Once its done and you know you aren't going to lose it (often a big worry for writers and thus the cause sometimes of "writers block"), you can concentrate on where the story is NOW.
Believe it or not, that's all I can find. However, everyone feel free to chime in some other ideas! Now on to this article I found. I thought it was kinda neat and a good share.
Can Deadlines Kill Your Writing?
by Michael A. Banks
Copyright © 1998 Michael A. Banks
The Japanese have an interesting word for deadline: shimekiri. Loosely and literally translated, the word means "cut-chop," which is what a lot of us do (or feel like we're having done to us) when up against a deadline. This word took on an additional level of meaning for me recently when, swamped with deadlines, I received an E-mail message from a Japanese editor inquiring about the status of a column I owed him. In the message, he referred to the fact that he himself was being "... attacked by terrible deadlines."
I suppose we all feel that way--attacked by the tasks we've taken on--at one time or another. Oddly enough, although I have a few more deadlines looming (and past) than usual this month, I don't feel the stress. This is probably because virtually all the pending articles and books are works I want to write, as opposed to article assignments or book contracts taken on in order to belay mindless "When can we expect the payment?" queries from creditors. And I must say it's a nice feeling.
All of which implies quite a bit about deadlines, and inspires me to pass along a bit of advice for those of you for whom writing is an end rather than a means and an end: Until you've handed your life and livelihood over to the profession of writing, stick with writing what you want to write. Nothing dampens writing ambition like the stress of being "attacked" by terrible deadlines. (Nothing, that is, except repeated rejection.) In other words, if you're just getting into the writing game, keep it fun!
Article found at http://w3.one.net/~banks/deadline.htm and admittedly filched...I do give credit where credit is due though!