Deadlines – you think when you’re an indie writer, you’ll be free of them. When I left magazine publishing, I was only too happy to escape the mounting panic as the dreaded date approached, production managers shrieking for copy, editors making last minute changes, art departments scrabbling to find a picture for that impromptu article just slotted in. Entrepreneur.com has an interesting article on it here.
‘Time urgency,’ they say, ‘kills attention spans, rational decision-making skills and, at its most acute, the body itself by contributing to factors that lead to heart disease.’ Now if that thought doesn’t cause you stress, I don’t know what would.
Still, deadlines can be both a blessing and a curse to authors. How many writers have taken their own sweet time to craft a masterpiece of a first novel only to find themselves hopelessly blocked and paralyzed by the need to produce a second masterpiece within their publishing contract’s allotted schedule of 12 months? Some like Margaret Mitchell never go on to write another book but for writers who work within the traditional publishing system, the deadline is both a goad to action and the sword of Damocles hanging over their heads.
So if you’re an indie writer, can you put all that behind you? Of course, you could. Most likely no-one’s demanding to see the first draft of your next novel or calling up to check on its progress. Take the week off. Heck, take the month or a whole year off if financial gain or productivity isn’t all that important to you. But still, most of us set targets. If you’re a serious writer, you’ve probably come up with your own discipline. Readers expect a follow-up book and competition is too fierce to make them wait for years. But at least whatever goals you set are your own self-imposed pressure. And when life interferes as it always does – like Lorraine’s husband’s unexpected knee surgery this week or the demands of Pam’s elderly in-laws – you can usually give yourself a little breathing room without feeling like the world is crashing down on your head. And that’s a good thing.
Unless of course you have a blog to write…
One of the many reasons I love to blog. I have a weekly deadline to write a post. It helps so much. Now, I need to do better to put pressure on myself for the book I’m writing. Working on that one….
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Pingback: Deadlines – an indie author’s perspective | Chicklit Sisters - ELLIE CAMPBELL
Reblogged this on Chicklit Sisters.
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I’ve seen it from both sides of the publishing divide. Right now, I’m free to do as I like, but the absence of a deadline is proving slightly too much of a luxury. Where’s that whip?
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Know exactly what you mean. It’s too easy to let other distractions take over.
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Good post. As a freelance journalist I have deadlines to meet though I’m doing it in the peace and quiet of my own home rather than the manic whirlwind of the the office when I was a staff journalist. My local history books are trad published so fixed deadline which the journalist in me will always meet. My indie fiction has self-imposed deadlines which I totally ignore – which is why there’s never been a follow-up to No More Mulberries. I’m bringing out a slim short story collection which will be the first fiction I’ve published in years. I think I need to have someone give me a deadline to make sure I don’t let things drift. No discipline!
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Know the feeling. We’re planning a second collection of short stories but who knows when we’ll actually get round to it 😀
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We totally get it! Sometimes it’s good to have time constraints and accountability!
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It is interesting seeing this perspective on a deadline. I think next week I’ll talk about deadlines too – from a traditionally published authors point of view. It should make an interesting contrast.
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Great idea Janet 😀
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Looking forward to it, Janet!
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