Deadlines.
Brrrr.
A line not to be crossed without consequences.
All writers bow to them, and for some, looming deadlines are also an electric jolt to get authors off the stick and in front of the keyboard. I confess. I do my best work right up against deadlines.
The dreaded word originated during the Civil War, referencing a defined line around prison camps that prisoners weren’t allowed to cross under the guarantee of being shot by guards. Some sources say it began at Andersonville, a Confederate prison camp notorious for its horrific conditions and high death rate among Union prisoners.
“Before noon, we were turned into the pen which is merely enclosed by a ditch and the dirt taken from the ditch thrown up on the outside, making a sort of breastwork. The ditch serves as a dead line, and no prisoners must go near the ditch. –––Robert Ransom, Diary of Robert Ransom, Nov, 22, 1863.
You get the picture.
Over time, as memories faded, the term softened and shifted from a literal physical boundary to a time limit. In the early 1900s, newspapers used the word to indicate the last possible moment for submitting copy for publication. Meeting a deadline is the mark of a professional, or one who refuses to be late.
Now, to soften that a bit, some writing deadlines are fluid. Life can get in the way of meeting those obligations, and most editors and publishers understand, to a point. Your family, health, and all those insane troubles that sometimes swirl around us like tweeting birds circling a cartoon character’s head should take precedence.
Simply missing a specific date because you can’t get off the stick is unforgivable and sets back a publisher’s schedule. Titles are lined up on the calendar for print and missing those dates might put your manuscript back at the end of the line, or pulled completely, damaging the writer’s reputation, and also that of their agent.
Other things happen, too. I got a little lazy in writing my fourth novel, Dark Places, and my agent took me to task, setting back my delivery date.
“Rev, I love the manuscript, but you missed an entire plot line.”
“What!!!???”
“Pepper ran away from home, and you didn’t follow her. She’s almost forgotten until the end.”
“But….”
“Follow her.”
I did, and it gave the book an entirely different quality. However, I missed that deadline in the sense that we had to ask for more time. The publisher gave me a month, but my subconscious, knowing I’d become lazy, had already written the material and the story poured out in only two weeks.
Besides the book deadlines mentioned above, (and I’m free of those for the first time in several years because I’ve turned in three novels in my new series and have some breathing room), I still have a weekly newspaper column and magazine columns…plus this blog.
Book deadlines, short story deadlines, column and magazine articles, blog posts, well-established newsletters, and paid Substack posts all require razor sharp attention. If you sign either a physical, agreed upon contract, or a personal goal to get your work on a particular date or day, they should all be met.
It’s your professional reputation that’s on the line.
“I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.” – Douglas Adams
In my trad days I was proud of the fact that I missed only one deadline. As an indie, I’ve found I need SIDs (self-imposed deadlines) on a printed calendar, taped to my office door. At least if you miss a SID you don’t get a contract cancelled, and once you catch up and finish the book it can be on sale the next day.
Douglas Adams was funny in all ways!
No matter if it’s an indie or traditionally published author, we all have deadlines and have to meet them. It equates to putting your butt in the chair each day and going to work.
Thanks for the grin, James!
Now that I’m full-time indie, my deadlines can be fluid. My editor and I work them out, and once we agree, I’ve always managed to make them. We’re still trying to figure out our schedules for the current wip. I know she wants it (because she gets paid), but I don’t want to hurry. Travel interfered with the writing this time, so I vetoed her original “can you have it to me by XXX?” proposal.
No matter if they’re personal or professional, I’m gonna meet them. That goes for being on time! I’d rather be an hour early for a meeting or appointment than one minute late.
Then again, my highly successful Bride had me hang a sign above the door going into the garage when she was working.
“Running late is my cardio!”
Back in the 1990s, a missed deadline by another writer gave me my big chance. She knew she couldn’t finish her article in time to meet the magazine’s deadline and recommended me to the editor. I delivered on time. That began a long, fruitful relationship with a respected magazine, leading to opportunities I would never have had otherwise.
Editors, writing groups, and radio producers know they can call me when they need a quick piece or fill-in interview b/c I always deliver. That has given me credibility and continues to lead to excellent opportunities.
You don’t have to be the most talented, brilliant writer if you’re professional, dependable, and always deliver.
Isn’t that funny! It all depends on which fork you take, and being in the right place at the right time, while always being prepared. I heard an interview with Jame Seymour just this morning. She was going through a hard time, money was gone, life a wreck, and she told her agent to find her work. “Anything.”
The next day she accepted a contract to play the lead in Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. It ran for seven seasons and got her back on track.
Life, and forks.
I started as a newspaper journalist so meeting deadlines is ingrained in me. It also taught me to sit down, plant my fingers on the keyboard, and start writing. No messing around. Covering evening city council meetings for a morning edition was a great way to hone that skill for a future as a traditionally published author. I tend to finish ahead of deadlines, but partly because I don’t like the stress of writing on deadline. I worry I might not write as well because I’m trying to write too fast.
I hate being late on a deadline, but the last four books were written during the time 4 close family/friends became ill and passed away (still can’t write d..d). I was late on every deadline, but within the wiggled room built in on deadlines. I do have wonderful editors and publisher. The last book had more holes than Swiss cheese, but my editor helped me plug ever one of them.