I'm a gunna person. This year I've announced to any one prepared to listen - no one because they've heard it all before - I'm gunna paint all the inside of our house, get a new bathroom and empty the lockup that holds another houseload of furniture that we stored when we moved into our small beach house permanently. And what have I achieved? Three carloads of boxes out of the lockup. Sigh. At least I can never say I've got nothing to do.So I definitely need deadlines and working for M&B is a breeze because I always know exactly when a book is due in and I get it there on time every time.
But at the moment I'm head down, proverbial up doing revisions on my current medical story. It went in on time and my editor worked fast to get revisions back to me because at the end of April I'm heading away to Europe for nearly seven weeks and do not want to be working then. Gathering ideas for new stories, yes. Revising this current one, no.
So at the moment my office is chaos, paper from here to Africa, notes, pads, pens, you name it, and all because the revisions have turned into a nightmare. Probably because I'm trying too hard to get them out of the way so I can concentrate on what to put in my case. Thanks to Stefanie London for her Lovecats blog about packing for trips. I got lots of great tips there.
When I write I do revert to old fashioned things like printout of my work and pen and paper for notes but this is a mess and I spend half my time trying to find what I've written down about my hero that I want to change.
So I have a date to get finished by. Next Wednesday the 19th. End of. SEND. I know I'll do it because of that date, otherwise I'd probably be sitting in the departure lounge of Auckland International doing the darned revisions.
Do you need deadlines or can you just get on with whatever you need to without them?
Have a wonderful Easter everyone. I'm gunna. Hope the bunny brings lots of chocolate.
I like a deadline, Sue. Keeps me honest :-)
ReplyDeleteYeah, they do that for sure, AA.
DeleteSue, good luck with your deadline. I got my book in early too, to avoid revisions while travelling. I couldn't imagine that.
ReplyDeleteYes, the deadlines are important to me. If I didn't have them I'd create them, otherwise I'd fiddle around and achieve nothing!
I do that too, Annie. And once it's written down I stick to it, so obviously need to write some other ones down that have nothing to do with my writing!
DeleteI am the world's best procrastinator. If they gave medals for that I would have a truck full!
ReplyDeleteYou'll have to share, Laurie. Seems like there are many of us doing the same thing!
DeleteHi Sue - I love deadlines! I think they keep me motivated and help me write a better book :) I also appreciate that they can be altered, shifted or changed when things go pear shaped, or when everyday life gets in the way of finishing a project :)
ReplyDeleteSome good points there, Helen. Deadlines do motivate us, don't they? But that flexibility helps, as long as we don't abuse it.
ReplyDeleteI know you wouldn't, Helen, and hopefully I never do either.
DeleteHi Sue, I like a deadline too. For many years I worked as a journalist so I think deadlines to motivate me are part of my psyche!
ReplyDeleteI need deadline too, otherwise my mind tends to wander and I feel like I don't get anything done. In fact, the shorter the deadline the better...well, within reason.
ReplyDeleteI need deadlines too Sue, otherwise I tend to procrastinate and not get things done at all. However, I do find that pain and health challenges can make deadlines frustrating at times.
ReplyDeleteHope you were able to get the edits done and the book submitted before departing and that you have a good break.