Deadline (Photo credit: Digital Game Museum)
I have a deadline coming up. Not from a publisher or an agent or anything exciting - indeed, one that was self-imposed – but a deadline nonetheless. And I am in danger of not meeting it.
It’s my fault, of course. I set a date to have my first draft finished by (August 6th), without setting mini-deadlines along the way to make sure I was on track to meet my major one. And, like everyone, I have procrastinated. I joined Camp NaNoWriMo in June to try to up my word count, only to fail miserably by writing approximately ten percent of what I was supposed to. I made excuses. I wasn’t inspired. I just didn’t write.
Now I’m about 30K shy of my goal (to allow for major cuts and still have a decent word count for the finished piece) with three weeks left in which to do it. NaNo all over again, in a way. I think I have enough story in my head to do it, but the danger of procrastination always lingers. Sure, school is going back this week which means I will have much more time during the day, but I’m sure I can fill that time with useless other things like, say, cleaning or gardening. In other words, everything else that has suffered as I’ve been idle.
Things are looking up, though. Yesterday at about 3am I had a great idea for a new character who will hold things together much better than they would have done without him. He even has a history and a religion and everything, which is unusual for me because I often leave religion out of my writing. The downside of being an atheist, I suppose. I also have some great scene ideas which again make the story much more fluid and believable. Really, I think I can do this if I put my mind to it. The trouble is putting my mind to it.
Where has my inspiration gone that enabled me to win two consecutive NaNos? Where is my lust for writing? Where is the desire to see the words “The End” in my manuscript? I’m afraid that I’m losing my passion for this story, which would explain the lacklustre progress over recent months. Yet, I still think it’s worth finishing. It’s a weird kind of internal conundrum.
Naturally, some child-free hours can theoretically work wonders for my word count. With the kids either asleep or at school I can, potentially, kill off a couple of thousand words a day, which will reduce my 30K shortfall very quickly. I CAN meet this deadline, I just need to motivate myself.
Wish me luck!
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I set myself a goal of finishing the first draft of my ms by the end of August but just keep falling further behind. The last few days I’ve been forcing myself to sit down and write 500 words in 30 minutes. Somehow that makes it seem more manageable for me and it’s been helping a lot so hopefully I’ll still make my goal! Good luck meeting yours!
Now that’s a good idea, but I’m needing more like 1200 per day. It’ll be tricky, but I’ll give it a go. Once school goes back it should be easier, but maybe I can get myself an hour or two each day anyway. Thanks for the encouragement!
Forget the damn deadline Emily..you must not lose your passion for the story. Take a little break and write something completely different, or nothing!
Ah, but that’s the problem, Pauline. That’s what I’ve been doing – nothing. And I haven’t necessarily lost my passion for the story; that was me thinking out loud, so to speak. I am dreaming about my characters at the moment though, so I figure that’s a good sign, right?
You, of course, have my best wishes for luck. I would counsel self-discipline of the sort recommended by Ms Fox (at least in terms of time devoted to writing), and also that recommended by Ms Conolly: don’t worry too much about the deadline per se.
However, sometimes writing just needs to be treated like work. For the best writers, it IS work. A little pig-headed determination occasionally has to take over from passion, but it’s worth it in the end.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to tinker with my facebook page.
Thank you! And yes, it IS work, and I need to make myself write to a deadline occasionally to prove, to myself at least, that I can do it. I’m able to do short bursts like NaNo (in November, at least), so maybe I can harness some of that energy in the next couple of weeks to try to knock this on the head. Even if I don’t get the whole draft finished, if I’m almost there I will probably be satisfied.
Best of luck to you!
Thank you!!
Good luck!
)
(And don’t impose any rigid deadlines on yourself if there is no real need and the result is that it kills your joy of writing!
Thanks! I’m thinking the deadline need not necessarily be rigid, but I do want to get a wriggle on and that deadline, which I set myself back when I was pregnant with the baby born in March last year, is as good as excuse as any. Quite frankly I’ve been writing this first draft for long enough, thank you very much.
Hopefully the joy of writing will come back and the words will just flow. Thanks again!
Good luck! Deadlines are good if they help to keep you on track, but don’t beat yourself up if you don’t meet them.
Thanks, Tracey. I’ll do my best, but as you said if I don’t make it, it’s not the end of the world.
Don’t give up. If anything, write for YOU and no one else. Trying to meet a deadline is good if you have one, but like Tracey said, don’t get beat up about it. You’re not alone – know that.
Thanks Alison! I’m doing my best, but no, I’m not going to beat myself up if I don’t make it. I’ll just have disappointed myself, which isn’t quite as bad but will still spur me on.
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