Have you heard that saying (or something similar), "It's a lot more difficult to be creative on a deadline"? This statement is frequently heard when a certain bestselling author comes up with the same old story, the same old characters, and the same old plot. I've heard complaints that they just didn't have enough "time" to think of something new. And, really, why should they? Because their name is attached to it, it will still sell.
Well, I have to disagree with the statement that creativity does not exist in time constraints. Mainly due to the fact that I am a procrastinator (always have been) and I find that I work the best when I have a fast-approaching deadline. That's when the ideas start germinating, the pen starts flying, and I get so excited that some people might call me rabid. That's what it was like in college, and that's what it's still like.
Maybe that's why I'm more satisfied with some of the pieces that I write using Write or Die than those that I write leisurely.
If I have lots of time to write a story, I usually find myself putting it off to do other things. I'm easily distracted and easily bored. Often, I tap away at the keyboard listlessly, and my characters are often just lolling around, not doing anything. But when someone is breathing down my neck (or I pretend they are) that's when the juices flow.
However, it's really a matter of "whatever floats your boat". So, what would you prefer? All the time in the world or a deadline?
Oh dear....!! I spent months starting my novel... I worked on it from June to December and had 162 pp. Then I entered the first two chapters in a contast (Crime Writers of Canada - Arthur Ellis Awards for Unpublished writers).
ReplyDeleteI was selected as a finalist based on the first 2 chapters. The next stage of judging required entrants to submit the whole book.
Ooops.
I had one week to get the complete manuscrip to the awards committee, and it was still only about 160 pages.
I worked my tail off, guzzled coffee and chain smoked, and at the end of teh week, I submitted a 297 page manuscript to them!
Deadlines - yikes!! Best thing is that the deadline forced me to finish the manuscript!
Cheers, Jill
www.jilledmondson.blogspot.com
I don't like hard and fast deadlines. They make me overly stressed, casing my brain to short out, creatively speaking. But deadlines in general do push me to get stuff accomplished.
ReplyDeleteMy self-imposed one for the WD group is to have something to post every week. It doesn't happen, but I have often realized that it had been awhile since my last piece to share and hurry to finish something enough to post. (like I need to do at the moment, whoops)
I would say deadlines help maintain focus, as long is there is flexibility worked in.