Writing Deadlines...to be or not to be?

[Deleted member 29316]

>10k words in one week
>easier to attain

stop asking for the impossible man xD

my usual pace isn't even 1/5 of that, actually and i would hate myself if i force myself to write a lot just for the word count.

Sorry for that, I'm just way too excited talking about writing stuff. Yeah, I also do it at my pace, though I give myself a deadline so that I won't stay too long on a story.

And actually, the lockdown is pretty helpful too.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

Honestly I think my opinion on and use of deadlines changed so much while writing my first story. I spent a long time planning out the characters and story before writing and mostly stuck to a weekly schedule at first until eventually going for a breakneck one chapter a day pace for a little bit before realizing it was leading to crap writing at which point I went back to a more leisurely, it's done when it's done pace (could be misremembering, it's been a while).
Personally, I think deadlines are less useful than people think they are. They are useful in giving you time to have something that you can then edit or work on, for sure, but as long as you're trying to post it on a site like this in a serialized manner, I'd say the only effect they have is in forcing you to push out less than stellar writing.
That being said, if it's about getting a manuscript ready for publishing I can see why deadlines can be helpful in getting you to have something that you can then work with an editor on. Then again, that's more a result of the publishing industry and its own pace rather than a commitment to good literature so eh?
tl;dr it depends but I personally think they're not as great as people say they are.

Hm...I could somehow relate to that. Deadlines may seem counterproductive in a sense that it makes someone complacent about what they're doing up till the last minute.

But then again, just what I posted before, it's just for reference and not exactly a standard. It's more on the matters of self-discipline and planning and the will to finish something that will help us in reaching a goal (like finishing a story).

 

[Deleted member 29316]

stay the course, bro!

Thanks for this!

 

[K5Rakitan]

I release a new chapter every 8 days, and that's my big deadline. I have smaller deadlines for editing and typing that aren't so rigid, and I typically stay on schedule.

 

[Deleted member 1192]

I give myself deadline like one chapter a week but... I still end up procrastinating oof. Like, write on the due date haha *nervous laughing ensues* happening rn again. how do I cure this.

 

[Deleted member 29316]

I give myself deadline like one chapter a week but... I still end up procrastinating oof. Like, write on the due date haha *nervous laughing ensues* happening rn again. how do I cure this.

I think this is what WhoCares is saying that putting deadlines is counterproductive.

Anyway, as for me, I remove everything else that might distract me from writing...games, watching anime, reading manga, etc. I tend to focus on my manuscript, that's why the 'deadlines' work on me. I plan ahead by plotting and taking notes of the details I'd like to include, then give myself three weeks to one and a half month of writing to finish (take note, this is flexible, and breaks are definitely included.).

And yeah, a proper mindset to finish something is greatly helpful. Whenever I write, I already told myself a thousand times that I wanted to be done with my work and with the best quality before releasing it to the online wilderness.

 

[yansusustories]

Ah, sheesh, I sometimes feel like a monster when looking at threads like these

>10k words in one week
>easier to attain

stop asking for the impossible man xD

You absolutely do not want to know my weekly word count

Anyway, I feel like I wanna mention one thing in regard to these two points:

One thing I got here is that it's nice to have a goal (like a deadline) but be flexible on it.

Personally, I think deadlines are less useful than people think they are. They are useful in giving you time to have something that you can then edit or work on, for sure, but as long as you're trying to post it on a site like this in a serialized manner, I'd say the only effect they have is in forcing you to push out less than stellar writing.

I think what we often overlook is that we have lots of different types of authors on sites like these. Like, it obviously makes a big difference if somebody is writing just for fun in their spare time or if somebody does writing as their main or at least side job and the amount of time you have on your hands will also make a difference. Like, if you work eight hours a day in another job, you'll naturally have less time than if you study and have lectures for only two hours a day. (And yeah, this is certainly not true for all degrees but honestly, I've had years in both my undergraduate and graduate studies where I'd have a whole day in the week off plus a completely free weekend. So yeah, students often do have more time. Unless you're in the US, of course, where you need to work to make sure you won't drown in too much of student loan debt )
If you're just writing as a hobby, then yeah, deadlines are probably not really needed. You can do everything on your own schedule. If you do regard writing as your job and earn at least part of your income with it, then that might look different though even if you're not part of the publishing industry in the sense that you work with publishing houses. Like, even when self-publishing, a deadline might come in handy since you can't take too long with one story.

 

[SwirlyUnicorn]

Yep, definitely stay chill. Think of the deadline as a reference, not as a standard.

It's pretty important we have that push while writing so that, not only we would accomplish something, but the feeling of finishing a goal is encouraging as well.

Because, honestly, the tendency to procastinate while writing is strong.

Yup the procastination force is so strong