Using Deadlines to Keep Yourself on Track

Did any of you have classmates who started their homework the second they received an assignment and had it finished long before the due date? I always wondered about those weirdos. I guess they find life less stressful when nothing is hanging over their heads. 

In school, I was often guilty of putting things off for later. I’d use the time I’d set aside for study, but the reality was, without a looming deadline, my butt wouldn’t stay in a chair for very long. Maybe this is how creative people have to function. Whims and fancies carry us away while external forces are necessary to keep us on track. 

That’s why I’ve started giving myself deadlines. (Even this blog is being written because of a deadline.) When the fun doesn’t carry my momentum forward, this is how I manage to keep moving. I have one deadline each week. If I need to take a week or two off, no big deal, but get back to your schedule as soon as you can. 

Consider the following weekly assignments you can give yourself:

1. Write a character sheet, where you establish the qualities you want a certain character to possess. Character sheets are fantastic tools in themselves to avoid having to backpedal while writing your story. Each significant character in your novel should have one. Otherwise, your imagined people might not be consistent or believable.
2. Develop a loose idea of what your big conflict is. I wasn’t initially a plotter, but I’ve learned my lesson. Plotting now saves time and headache later! If you break your plot up into multiple parts, give yourself a deadline for each. This will force you to think through the movement of your story before you weave it. 
3. Start with one chapter for a week. If you sail through it, maybe your next assignment needs to be bigger, like three chapters. You’ll get an idea as you go what to expect from yourself. 
4. When you hit a writing wall, use one of your weeks to reload. Assign yourself a book to read or a movie. Take the time to break down what you like and don’t like about those stories. This may help you jump out of your own writing rut. 
5. Exchange a chapter with a friend. Give yourself a week to read and respond to someone else’s work. Include encouragement in your feedback… we writers need help building our confidence! 

Remember that you are writing because you love it. When your goals are overwhelming and you’re falling behind on your deadlines, step back and examine what the problem may be. Rest, reinvigorate, then jump back into the process works best for you. 

Happy writing!