To meet a writing deadline, plan realistically, make writing your priority, break the work into small chunks, keep distractions away, and schedule your breaks. This article explains each step, so that a deadline drives you instead of stressing you.
Deadlines matter for writers. An article on setting deadlines in Writer's Digest argues that a deadline is the difference between someone who takes writing seriously and someone who only dreams of becoming a writer. Deadlines make sure that goals are met and pages are written, and they push you to complete your work.
And yet, writing on a deadline almost always comes with a lot of stress. Here are some tips on how to write, and survive, when you have a deadline to meet.
Meet your deadline, whoever set it
It doesn't matter whether your deadline was set by your boss or your editor, or whether you set it yourself. You can and should meet it all the same.
Of course, there are valid reasons to put down the pen or step away from the keyboard: emergencies, a family member who needs help, accidents, and the like. Apart from those, nothing should keep you from meeting your goal.
Be realistic
It's not easy to create the perfect writing schedule. Sometimes you overestimate the number of words or pages you can write per day. Your energy changes from day to day, and things you could not foresee can get in the way.
Many apps and websites measure how fast you type: 50 words per minute? 80? 100? Typing speed matters for the writing itself. But when you set yourself a deadline, or want to find out whether you can meet one, you need to know how fast you are with everything that belongs to the writing.
That includes style and wording, rewriting parts, research, spell checking, and formatting, but also breaks and the time a proofreader will need. Estimate how long you need for roughly one page. Then you know how many pages per day or week you can write without giving up sleep, work, or meals (and maybe still have a little free time).
Don't forget to add extra time to reread the whole work, reword parts of it, and take in changes and suggestions. Then add some more time for spell checking and formatting.
No matter how carefully you plan, and how much buffer you give yourself, some things cannot be foreseen. If you miss a deadline, look at it realistically rather than pessimistically. Instead of feeling like a failure or blaming yourself, analyze why you couldn't meet it. Could the reasons have been prevented? If so, how? Only those who make mistakes can learn from them, and you will do better next time.
Prioritize
Prioritizing is a vital part of meeting your deadline, and it covers three aspects of writing:
- Make writing and finishing your novel, article, or book your number one priority.
- When you have several writing jobs, decide which one to do first.
- Break a huge writing task into smaller parts and start with the one you like least.
Make writing your priority
When you have an important deadline to meet, you may have to miss the newest movie, a gym session, or a casual meeting with friends. That is hard, but if you set yourself a goal, you want to reach it instead of pushing it further and further away. So cut the time-consuming and less important things from your schedule until you meet your deadline.
This does not mean that you should neglect your health or shut out your friends and family. Tell them that you need to get this story, book, or commission done before you can spend more time with them again. Sleep and eat enough during your breaks.
You can't step away from your family or your job while you work toward your deadline? Then set aside a certain time of day for writing only. If you live with other people, make sure they know how important your "writing time" is. That way you can write undisturbed, and with a clear conscience.
Decide which job to do first
The second aspect comes into play when you have more than one writing job or goal. When you have to choose between your long-term novel, a magazine article, or a submission you want to place, ask yourself which of them matters most.
A good strategy is to start with the one that brings you the most. Can you make a living, or at least some money, with a certain writing project? Then do that one first. It earns you money and also references that lead to more jobs. Next, focus on submissions and other pieces that can be published in a relatively short time. Long-term writing, such as a novel or a screenplay, comes last on the list of writing priorities. Those are usually works in progress that you are more passionate about anyway, and they need a lot of time and love to become as good as you want them to be.
Break up your writing
Once you have made writing your priority and chosen the project, you can prioritize inside the project as well. The easiest way to do this is to break the writing into smaller chunks.
You can split your writing into weekly, daily, or even hourly chunks: the introduction, research, gathering source material, the long discussion in the middle, the closing words, editing, formatting, and a final spell check. Tackle each of these parts on its own.
Splitting the work into chunks already shows you what to do first. Gathering sources and doing research naturally come before formatting the little text you already have. Once the groundwork is done, start with the part you like least. It is the part you are most likely to put off, and once it is done early, you don't have to worry about it when the deadline draws near.
Stay focused and avoid distractions
Distractions are your worst enemy when you have a deadline. When you get distracted from your work, you lose time doing anything but what you should be doing. Worse, you lose motivation and drive as well: straying to social media or video sites while you should be writing only makes you more reluctant to go back to your work.
When it is time to write, keep distractions to an absolute minimum:
- Stay away from social media and video sites.
- Leave other chores for later.
- Turn off your phone, and even your internet connection if you don't need it for writing and research.
Take scheduled breaks and reward yourself
Avoid distractions, but take breaks? Yes, because there is a clear difference between the two.
First, breaks should be scheduled and part of your plan from the start. This means that you don't waste or lose any time while you take them.
Second, breaks take your mind off the topic. It may seem strange, but this actually helps to keep the creative juices flowing.
Third, use your breaks to do something good for yourself. Get a healthy snack and something to drink.
And once you are done, reward yourself. Meeting a deadline calls for a trip to the lake, a big bowl of ice cream, a warm bath, some chocolate, or a relaxing massage. You did it, and you deserve it.
If deadlines often feel too tight, see how to make time to write and how to improve your writing speed.