Deadlines.
Love them or hate them, deadlines seem to define the life of a writer. For some, they’re a motivation. For others, they’re a source of dread. But whether we rush to meet them or let them whoosh by, deadlines shape our writing habits and productivity.
A few weeks ago, I signed up for a meeting to pitch a book. I had almost 30, 000 words and needed another 20-30, 000 to complete it.
The plot was outlined, the characters drawn, and the bulk of the story had been written. I needed to add more between the scrappy details.
The days have flown. I’ve been travelling again, getting over jet lag, had a bout of food poisoning, and I’ve been working on other tasks, and the deadline is getting closer and closer.
Douglas Adams once said, ‘I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.’
We writers know that sound well. Even if the deadlines are self-imposed, they give impetus to our endeavours. But, sometimes, the deadlines seem unwise or unachievable.
My brain needs to be in a space of activity in order to work creatively, but not so busy my thoughts are too crowded. Everyone works differently, but I know that when I’m given a deadline, I work to it. If I go away for a three-day writing fest, I can write thousands of words daily.
If I have a day with no particular urgency, I can waste the time. Creating urgency by creating deadlines (even if self-imposed) is a great technique to produce more work. Having a word goal every day, a critique partner to share work with each week, or finding an accountability person/mentor to check in with are all great ways to keep on task. (Unless you’re one of those people who are naturally disciplined, freakishly organised and unnaturally perfect!)
Grabbing time is a tool for dismantling perfectionism. When we write quickly, we write freely, and writing freely, we lay track.
Julia Cameron
When I make a commitment, I stick to it. That’s my personality. To help the process, I added a Days Until app on my phone and I’m watching the countdown. 30 days, 29 days, …
The book doesn’t need to be perfect, but the manuscript must be complete, and those first few chapters need to impress.
Why did I sign up for this knowing that I’d be under a lot of pressure? Is it wise to put the book out there, even in a pitch, before I’ve had time to really edit it well? These and so many other questions are racing around my head like a social media video on fast-forward.
Meanwhile, time ticks along and finishing seems impossible. What do I do?
I’ll get up tomorrow morning and start again. I’ll just start writing and let the words come as they are. Polishing them can come later. It will be edited several times before it is ever published. I’ll do the best that I can and leave it there.
I have two other books to complete and, in the last couple of years, I’ve found that creating the brain space to write has been a chore. There’s so much going on, but I feel compelled to continue to write, to keep going until these stories are birthed into the world.
God compels me to write, so I keep going. As I sit at my desk and write word after word, I’m reminded by this verse that there is strength and reward in perseverance.
But as for you, be strong and do not give up, for your work will be rewarded.
2 Chronicles 15: 7
Progress over Perfection
In the end, I remind myself that perfection isn’t the goal. Progress is. Each day I sit down to write, I’m learning to trust the process—and trust that God has put these stories on my heart for a reason. Deadlines may come and go, but the call to write remains strong.
