Writing Deadlines

Nothing worse than when a writer commits to a deadline and then is unable / unwilling to accomplish the feat. Well, that's a bit extreme but too often, I see what happens when writers fail to meet deadlines. 

Such a failure frustrates me personally because rather than move forward in our consulting sessions, even if the writer tells me how much research she accomplished or thought she gave or plotting she did, if she is not writing, we are standing still. 

Two, a writer's writing time is just that. Time to write. Not to brainstorm with others or to organize your space or to read internet news or play solitaire on your computer. Your writing time is time to write.

When breaking deadlines is chronic, though I can always cancel sessions until productivity improves, the writer's disrespect of herself costs her spirit (energy). 

Once or twice is to be expected but when a writer comes up with more excuses than writing, such an abuse signals a problem. 

There are two kinds of writing deadlines:

1) Deadlines imposed on you by another professional 

2) Deadlines you set for yourself 

Meeting the first kind of deadline is a critical if you wish to be a successfully published author. Book and magazine publishers, acquisition editors and critique groups expect you to be true to your word. Do that and you become a trusted  and reliable team member. 

Meeting the deadlines you set for yourself is great practice for when you are asked to keep a deadline for someone else. Also, meeting the deadlines you set for yourself is a personal message that you think enough of yourself to do what you commit to do and that you are able to count on yourself. 

Be realistic when you commit to a deadline with others and with yourself. 

Breakdown the total number of scenes or chapters or words you need to write overall 
Divide by the number of writing days you have between now and the deadline
For every working day, schedule how much productivity is required for ultimate success

Show yourself and the muse that you are to be trusted. 

Only make promises to yourself you know you can keep. 

Show up for yourself. 

Live up to your commitment and write.

Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay? is playing on my YouTube channel. Currently, there are 21 Steps. Step 22 goes up later this weekend. A directory of the program is to your right. Each link takes you to a video that explains that particular writing concept. 

Benefits of watching the Plot Series:

1) Become a better writer 

2) Play along on The Santa Cruz Traveling Mystery Tour and win a free plot consultation with me

 

Enjoy!

More than One Draft

Do you understand that writing a novel, memoir, screenplay involves not just writing one draft but many?

Therefore, the quicker you write a draft the better. 

Each time you write a draft all the way through to the end you have a better sense of what the story is truly all about. 

Do NOT make every word perfect in the first draft, especially not the beginning one quarter of the project. Until you have written a couple, or more, drafts all the way to the end, you have no idea of what is needed in the beginning.

I've said it before and I think it's worth repeating again - the end defines the beginning. Therefore write all the way to the end .

Get your ego out of the way. The more you are able to tolerate imperfection, the more quickly you can finish a draft and every draft makes the story better. The perfection comes along with the process of writing draft after draft. 

If it takes you years to write a draft, think how long it's going to take to get your manuscript ready to submit. If it takes you months to write a draft, it's going to happen more quickly. 

Click on green highlighted plot concepts for further explanations via video. Each time a concept is referenced you are directed to new information.

Depicting Character Emotion

To depict character emotion beyond the cliches -- slamming things down and shouting when angry, dancing and singing when joyful -- takes having felt the emotion yourself as a writer or the intuitive ability to detect the subtle exaggeration of common external behaviors that signal deeper emotion.

We are not always encouraged to acknowledge our true emotions -- especially so, women, or so I wonder. Women of a certain generation, mine, were taught to be the peacemakers at all cost, to sweep the raw, edgy emotions out of sight of others which also became more comfortable for ourselves, too.

No wonder many of us have difficulty showing authentic human emotions in our characters in true and fresh ways. 

Subsequent generations have been encouraged to explore feelings and express them more honestly. I wonder if that is true and makes it any easier to conjure up unique shows of emotion??

The little notebook and pencil you carry with you everywhere comes in handy to record people's show of emotion -- both authentic and inauthentic emotions.  

(NOTE: Steps #7 in the Plot Series: How Do I Plot a Novel, Memoir, Screenplay?

should be up later today)