Used with permission from Debbie Ridpath Ohi at Inkygirl.com
I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by. — Douglas Adams.
I am a speechwriter by day. On average, I write over 100 speeches a year. This means that I’ve successfully met approximately 75 deadlines so far this year. My creative writing is a completely different story. In the past 11 months, I’ve written one children’s picture book manuscript. One. How can it be that the writing I enjoy most gets the least commitment? The answer, at least for me, is deadlines.
Those 100 speeches all come with externally-imposed deadlines. I’ve tried setting deadlines for my creative writing projects, but as my own boss, I’m extremely sympathetic to and forgiving of all my excuses and distractions. In short, I suck at keeping myself on track and accountable.
Writing workshops are great for deadlines
In desperation, last January, I signed up for a Writing and Illustrating Children’s Books workshop at the Ottawa School of Art. I paid over $250.00 for, to be honest, a deadline. I had my story idea. I had my character – a young moose named Wade. I had his dilemma – losing his first set of antlers. I also had a few of his forest friends roughly sketched out. What I didn’t have was any of it down as a story with a beginning, middle and end.
During those eight weeks In that workshop, I began to see my story more visually, build on the humour and twists and turns of the plot, garner feedback and encouragement from other writers and the instructor, and with great relief and excitement, I finished my first draft of Wade’s Wiggly Antlers.
After meeting that deadline, something really great happened
A few months later, after a polish and professional proofread, I submitted the story to a national writing for children competition sponsored by CANSCAIP and the Writers’ Union of Canada. In June, I received the happy news that Wade’s Wiggly Antlers was chosen as one of nine finalists. I was ecstatic, and very grateful for the feedback and motivation I received from the workshop.
I paid for a writing deadline and it worked. Now, it’s just a matter of getting better at setting and meeting my own deadlines for my current projects … for free!
What tips and tricks work for you in getting to those two magic words: The end?