Last week I found out Tidings of Joy was a finalist in the inspirational category of the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellance.
What do you do when your writing interrupts your life? You have a deadline and everything else must come to a grinding stop so that you make your deadline. I feel like my bottom has been stuck in my office chair for so long that it’s a permanent part of me. The only good thing this last month or so is that the weather hasn’t been very nice here so I haven’t been tempted to go outside and enjoy it.
I’m pleased to announce I’ve finished the book with a few days to spar but only a few. I don’t do well with tight deadlines. I know some writers who thrive on them. Not me. Which are you? Are you the type of person who loves to wait to the last minute to study for a test then stay up all night cramming for it? Do you like to put off that paper you need to do until you have no choice but to write it? Do you enjoy having to rush to make the deadline because you played for the first month? Or do you dive into the project the minute you get it and try to finish way before the deadline? Do you stick to writing no matter what so you won’t have to rush at the end?
I’ve always likened myself to the tortoise. I have a good friend I think of as the hare. It amazes me how much she can write in one day (I might not get that much done in a week), but she doesn’t write every day or some times even most days. I write almost every day at a slow, steady pace. And that works well for me until I push myself to do one extra book in almost the same amount of time. That’s when I discover, my life’s interrupted with writing.
I don’t like putting things off until the last minute, so I try to manage my deadlines by at least starting on them right away. Sometimes I have to juggle more than one, but I always like to have them done ahead of time.
Thanks for your great posts Margaret!
Blessings,
Sheryl
WOOHoo!!!
ya got it done!!! 🙂
I’m definitely more like the hare. I like the edge that comes from having a specific deadline and putting focusing my all on meeting it. However, as I’ve gotten older, I’ve learned that it’s not necessary to live this way in every area of my life, that having steady routine actually makes life simpler, less frenetic, and more enjoyable. So I no longer wait until the last minute for everything and I’m trying to learn not to write that way.
Thanks for the posts. I find I do so much better if I don’t wait but then that’s me. Some like the race to the end.
Margaret