What is it about deadlines and due dates that make the writerly part of my brain function like it’s supposed to? For example, when I was in school writing was always about seeing how far I could push the deadline.
I knew I had papers due weeks in advance sometimes, yet, I always worked better when I waited until the last moment. Yes, it meant staying up most of the night. Yes, it meant stress. Yes, it meant driving myself to the brink of sanity and clawing my way back over the edge. But, something about that worked for me.
So, as I sit here rotting on the east coast. (Sorry to any east coast readers, however, I’m just a west coast, coffee on every corner, rainy night’s kind of girl.) I find myself struggling. I think part of the struggle is an utter lack of deadlines.
I know, I can hear you now. “Make your own deadlines.” That sounds great, but it doesn’t work. Not even a little. It just makes me feel worse, because it doesn’t add the pressure, no one but me will know that I’ve missed it, and then I just get to feel guilty and wonder why it didn’t help.
I haven’t found a good solution to this problem; I don’t think there is one until real deadlines come into play. So instead, the goal is to, just do as much work, as possible each day. Write, write, and write some more.
However, this time, my writing for the week is focused on outlining. I’ve never fully outlined any project I’ve worked on. I’ve balked at the whole outlining process from the time I was old enough to learn about it, but for once I’m going to sit down and outline the whole project from start to finish. Chapter by chapter, then scene by scene. Perhaps knowing where I’m going will in fact help me get there.
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