Thursday, June 5, 2014

Thursday Review—Observations about Writing on a Deadline

by Lynn H. Blackburn @lynnhblackburn

I’m on a deadline y’all, so this is going to be brief.

I’ve never been on a real deadline before, but I entered a contest and next thing I know, BOOM! Full manuscript due June 9th. Which is awesome. Or it would have been if I hadn’t had to rewrite pretty much the whole novel.

I’ve been churning out 2K words a day for weeks and I’ve made a few, let’s call them “observations,” regarding writing to a deadline.

Here ya go
  • If you have a “no caffeine after lunch” rule, you’re just going to have to let that go. Your new mantra? “It’s 6 A.M. somewhere.”

  • If your caffeinated beverage of choice comes with a hefty helping of sweetener and a generous glob of whip, say goodbye to your skinny jeans. Or switch to unsweetened tea. These are the only two options.
  • You’d better enjoy whatever seasonal decorations you’ve got going when deadline season hits, because you’re still going to be enjoying them when it ends. Easter decorations are still cute in June, right?
  • Gift cards make great gifts, and they are usually available wherever chocolate and pain relievers are sold. Bonus!

  • This is not the time to decide to increase your water intake. If you’re trying to stick to a certain amount of BIC (butt-in-chair) time, all that fruit infused water you’re sucking back is going to cause you a world of pain. Ask me how I know.
  • Writing rituals are good. Need a certain pair of pants or the perfect tunes to get the words flowing? Roll with it. My new favorite motto? “It’s only crazy if it doesn’t work.” But be warned. Rituals that involve pastries are a good way to gain ten pounds. Rituals that involve your favorite coffee shop are a good way to go broke. Rituals that involve pastries AND your favorite coffee shop? No bueno my friends.
  • Takeout menus and drive-thru windows are things of beauty. My deadline hit during May and if that statement didn’t cause you to shake your head in dismay then I can tell you do not have school-aged children because anyone with young kids knows May is the new December and it will kick your rear even if you don’t have a deadline. (Did you notice how I made that all one long sentence? I’m writing this in May, and I do not have time for proper punctuation). Make life easier. Order a pizza. Hit a drive-thru and grab another tea. You’re gonna need it.


That’s all I’ve got.

So help a girl out. Give me some more tips. What have you learned while writing on deadline?


Don’t forget to join the conversation!
Blessings,
Lynn


Lynn Huggins Blackburn has been telling herself stories since she was five and finally started writing them down. She blogs about faith, family, and her writing journey on her blog Out of the Boat. Lynn is a member of the Jerry B. Jenkins Christian Writers Guild and the Word Weavers, Greenville. She lives in South Carolina where she hangs out with three lively children, one fabulous man, and a cast of imaginary characters who find their way onto the pages of her still unpublished novels. She drinks a lot of coffee.

25 comments:

  1. Great article, refreshing and full of humor and oh, so true. My biggest temptations? Taking my BIC out of the chair to munch. I tell everyone this is me thinking. More accurately, it's MGB (me growing butt). God bless and thanks.

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    1. I solve that temptation by preemptively staging my work area with food...although that definitely leads to MGB... :-). Thanks for stopping by!

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  2. Buy extra underwear, socks, and clothing, so you don't have to do laundry as often.

    I've never tried this, but get into the shower with your clothes on. Both you and your clothes will get clean.

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    1. How did I forget to mention the laundry?! Probably because I'm choosing to pretend it's not a real problem. :-) Thanks for the suggestions. If you try the shower idea, please post a before/after pic!!

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  3. My first deadline landed in my email yesterday! This was a great stress-reliever. Thanks!

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    1. How fun! (That's what people who've never written with a deadline looming over them will tell you. I suggest glaring at them until they stammer awkwardly and walk away. I'm kidding. Sorta...) Good luck!!

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  4. Thanks for the laugh!
    I'm not much on drive-thru food but those "throw it all in a pan and in 10 minutes it's dinner" meals are my weakness! Eat enough of those and my BIC routine won't work because my butt won't fit!

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    1. True story - I'm mostly feeding the kids with the drive-thru. I'm eating a lot of leftovers and beef jerky. (I wish that was a joke...) I haven't considered the possibility of not fitting in the chair. Probably because I always try to sit in a booth at Panera...problem solved! :-)

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  5. Good advice wrapped in giggles. My favorite kind!!

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    1. You're the master of good advice wrapped in giggles! THANK YOU!

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  6. Great advice. And good luck on your project.

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    1. Thanks, Tim. I need all the help I can get! (I may or may not be using my desire to reply to all these wonderful comments as an excuse to procrastinate...)

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  7. I enjoyed reading and the laugh :) - although I should be writing. :) I'm in that boat right along with you. One of the many things I have learned about my writing when I have a deadline approaching - I can't take days and days to mope around because I feel 'stuck'. The moment I feel that block coming on I have to go back and see where I started veering off course. With this story it's usually been that I'm in the wrong POV or totally trying to make the character do something that's out of character for them or that they just don't want to do no matter how amazing I think it would make the story. I have to learn to listen to them if I want to write their story. Oh - and I totally have to ask now - how did you learn now was not the time to increase your water intake - or do I want to know? :)

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    1. Tammy! Thanks for stopping by! Let's just say that if you try to up your H2O intake before you leave for your fav coffee shop, you may spend more time visiting the little baristas room than you do writing! :-) Not my most productive morning. Best of luck with your Killer Voices submission!

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  8. Thanks Edie! I'm glad I took the extra couple minutes to read this - my deadline is looming, too!

    Now to grab my caffeine, and chocolate, and put on my writing music.....

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    1. You have chocolate? Can I come write with you?! Happy writing. :-)

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  9. Having been where you are at, I enjoyed this. You put a smile on my face.

    As far as advice goes, it sounds like you have things well in hand. Do what works for you and be sure to take at day away from writing once a week. If I don't take time to refresh and regroup, my writing days don't go as well.

    Thanks for the fun read.

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    1. Thanks Kimberly! Excellent point.And I now feel validated for choosing to watch the season finales of some of my favorite TV shows. I had been calling it "research" but if anyone asks, I'm going to tell them I need to "refresh and regroup" :-) In all seriousness, I do think giving yourself a break is crucial. I like to find a different creative outlet, either of my own or someone else's - knitting, listening to music, live theater, TV, movies, art - to give my brain and spirit a chance to breathe. Makes all the difference!

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  10. Great post! I'm using super glue to keep my BIC. :)

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    1. Super glue! Brilliant! But I'm afraid I'd use up those tiny containers too fast. Do they sell that in industrial size tubes? :-)

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  11. You are such a hoot, Lynn! When you finish meeting your deadline, we'll have to go out for celebratory hefty helpings of sweetener and generous globs of whip. Then we'll go shopping for some fat pants. ;) You can do it!!!

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    1. Definitely! I'll gladly trade my iced coffee (no sweetener, no whip, no joy) for something frothy and mustache inducing! :-) Thanks for the encouragement!

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  12. I loved this post and although I'm not yet at deadline status, I'll remember this when one comes along. Pastries and coffee are my favorite things so you and I could be best friends:) I'll be praying over your work!

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    1. You like writing, pastries, and coffee, too? We must meet! :-) Thank you for the prayers. No amount of caffeine or chocolate could have gotten me through this. All the credit and glory goes to God!

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  13. How fun, Lynn. And how true. I've only written under article deadlines and that's enough stress for me. I can't imagine a book, although i'm considering it - trying to decide if I can afford a new wardrobe. LoL. Thanks for the laughs!

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