Deadlines
and Delirium
Or – Food for
thought, the main course
I have a
deadline. No, wait a second. That’s…I have a dream. Ok, I have that,
too. But the deadline’s closer.
Sometimes we
have things we HAVE to do. Granted, there are always more important
things. If your child breaks an arm, your readers can wait at least
until she’s home in a cast. If you hear a loud, resounding crash from
the other room, that sentence can wait. There are things, occurrences
and blood-curdling screams that will make you pause in your work.
Those aside, do
deadlines have to be tough? Not really, but the pressure is more fun.
Keeps the writer alive. Keeps the nails short and the coffee a-brewing.
It’s exciting and invigorating. High blood pressure is a must for the
muse.
It does,
however, help enormously when a writer works with decent publishers and
editors. Like we need more aggravation in our lives. We stagger from one
creation to another, knowing what we do is for the entertainment of
human kind, therefore important. But when a publisher decides to behave
like an imbecile, words can hardly express how disruptive that can be to
a writer.
Writers thrive
on food for thought. Didn’t know that was a main course, did you? Food
for thought is healthy, wholesome and packed full of fodder for the
quill. It is what sustains us.
One thing I do
like in my work world is for those I have to work with to have a
professional and honest manner. Honesty and integrity are important.
Take, for example, the publisher who switches rules in mid-stream.
Throws writers off completely. We like the guidelines to be clear before
we start the work. Once we’re off and running, disruptions just make
us cranky. So a word to publishers and editors out there. Keep it
simple, sane and sincere. This isn’t asking much. We writers are a
quirky lot. Deal with it.
If your
deadline looms and some dumb-assed publisher wants it sooner than agreed
upon, or differently focused, take a deep breath, take two more aspirin
and call them in the morning. You won’t be anymore coherent, but you
certainly will have fun being morning-cranky with them.
If you’ve
been steadily working on an aspect of the final project and your editor
calls you to tell you they’ve scrapped that one but want something
like this, tell them politely that you’re fine with that. Immediately
upon hanging up, revise the work and sell it elsewhere. In the meantime,
have your little one working that modeling clay to a soft consistency so
the voodoo doll is easier to make.
If your editor
starts to get too buddy-buddy, expressing her understanding about the
writing life (she used to write, dontchaknow) stop her short. Tell her
you are grateful for the understanding. However, she is no longer on
this side of the fence and you’d prefer the relationship stay
professional. No amount of her “understanding” is going to stop her
from ripping your work apart, should she be having a bad day. Let her
stay on her side of the table and you on yours. Let her know that one of
the requirements of being your buddy is a mandatory ten hours of
“volunteer” babysitting per week, so that you can meet your
deadlines. That should close the subject.
Be honest in
your dealings, hoping others will deal the same. You have words at your
command. Don’t wimp out. Express yourself. Do so with clarity and
purpose, be calm and professional. Make sure you include a few quotes
from the contract, reminding them gently of their obligations. If this
doesn’t work, there are other methods, but white-collar saboteurs are
expensive. Try the calm approach first.
Just a few tips
on how to make deadlines and editors a bit more digestible for the
writer. We all have our style for dealing with issues. However, in the
name of all that is wordmeistering, be cranky now and then, tell stupid
people to shove off and make voodoo dolls ahead of time. If you’re in
the writing life, you’re going to need them.
____________________
Copyright 2002 – Satiric
Quill |
