Self-imposed deadlines are a good way to insert discipline into your writing process and keep yourself on track towards your goals. However, they can also make you a little crazy. Worse, deadlines for actual paid work can make you freeze up. In a post on DIY MFA, Gracie Bialecki offers advice for managing deadlines without going nuts. She suggests:
- Setting mini-deadlines right away. When Bialecki got a dream assignment on a short deadline, she set a handful of interim deadlines to keep herself on track. She knew that if she hit her mini-deadlines, she’d have a solid first draft for her editor.
- Sticking to the plan. “Barring a life crisis or other legitimate excuse, trust that you’re capable of following through on your deadlines,” Bialecki says.
- Curbing your perfectionism. Your editorial deadline usually means the day you need to turn in a good – but not perfect – draft. Your editor will take it from there and ask for changes as needed. Similarly, if you’re working on a self-imposed deadline, your goal is to get your story down, not to get the final perfect draft finished.
- Trusting yourself. Life is full of deadlines, and you’ve met a lot of them. If your current deadline is stressing you out, make a mental note of all the times you’ve succeeded.
- Setting reasonable deadlines. If you have the luxury of setting your own deadlines, make them reasonsable. “A target date should support your work, not cause anxious rushes and make the writing process more difficult,” Bialecki says.
- Knowing the way you work. Think about your schedule and what’s realistic, Bialeck suggests. Can you really finish your novel by New Year’s Eve? Don’t set yourself up for stress or failure.
