I need them. I hate them. They motivate me. They rule my life. They keep me focused. They… Well you get the point. You see, for the most part, a person with a tendency to be distracted by things that seem far more interesting than sitting in front of the computer needs deadlines. Before the days of contracts and deadlines, a sister wrote when she was inspired, when the mood struck. Structure? Timelines? Whatever! I was an artist. Punching the clock was for the day job. You couldn't force the muse. And, hey, I was no hack. That was then… Now, inspiration takes her sweet time showing up, especially when work is busy and life is hectic and all my favorite shows are finally back to airing all new episodes. And truth be told if inspiration does try and strike during these times it would be so easy and oh so tempting to put her on hold. It would be that is, if it weren't for those deadlines…
I'm Blogging in Black today. Read the rest of this post here:
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Deadlines: My Enemy... My Friend...
Posted by Gwyneth Bolton at 2:04 AM
Labels: Blogging In Black, Commentary, My Life
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8 comments:
The desire to stay home and educate our children drove me to take charge of my time. I already work on a Master Schedule. The thing about scheduling my days is that it frees up blocks of time when I can do whatever the heck I want without feeling guilty. That usually means a nap.
;)
Great post, Gwyn. I think if I were working a "day job" again, my writing time would be more productive because it was limited. I think that's why deadlines work...at least for me.
Kimber An -- That sounds great. Having a schedule is a sure way to make the best use of your time.
Miz M -- Thanks, girlfriend! I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who needs deadlines. :-)
I'm beginning to understand what you mean girlfriend! We're all such free spirits, such, "artists," before deadlines. But you rise to the occassion every time, so stop that fretting and just keep writing. Don't forget to phone a friend, too.
But I like fretting... :-) No really, thanks, Susan! know. I know. We need to get together soon.
I'm having a real hard time with productivity. My muse is gone. I shot her at point blank range, she was turning into my inner editor. Now I must just write and forget about her. But it's so much easier to watch TV.
You're doing something right regarding your deadliens. Girl, you are really cranking out the books. What is your secret to releasing 3 books in 2006 and 2 in 2007? I wanna be like you when I grow up.
Nancy -- You killed your muse? Oh no! I sometime think of shaking mine until she gives up the goods... But I'm afraid of pissing her off. So I just give her her own way... I hope you get another muse soon.
Michelle -- I don't know. But what ever it is, it had me suffering the worst writer's block all summer. I think my mind just froze from all the writing and said enough. I'm just happy to be writing again. And I wanna be you when I grow up. :-)
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