Deadline Incentives

What “carrot in front of the horse” measures do you use to trick, I mean tempt yourself to keep going when faced with a deadline? My current deadline is a manuscript that needs to be finished in time to submit to a contest. Maybe you’re trying to finish a manuscript that has an appointment with your editor’s desk, finish a home repair project or write a proposal for your small business.

When the project is enormous, sometimes we lose steam in the middle or when the light is at the end of the tunnel, but it’s only a tiny glimmer, we may still think of giving up.

Do you scold, reward, chain yourself to your computer/ladder/desk? Here are a few things that work for me.

* Keeping a daily log of my manuscript page count. I downloaded a free monthly calendar, printed it out and write the page number I end on each day in the blank square. Seeing the numbers climb as the calendar progresses gives me a little thrill.

* Coffee. Lots of coffee. I make a deal with myself: unlimited coffee after lunch as long as I am writing. Maybe too much caffeine intake is a bad idea, so use this one in moderation.

* A few pieces from the bag of chocolate that I hide in the kitchen cabinet are a boost when a scene is being tricky. (My hiding place is no secret to my family now, so I guess I’m really hiding it from myself until I can’t resist.)

* A book by a favorite author sitting on my To Be Read pile that is off-limits until the project is finished. In this case, Lisa Kleypas’s Seduce Me At Sunrise.

You might be thinking that this sounds an awful lot like the Treat Box elementary teachers keep in their room for good students. I say whatever works, use it.

What works for you? Accountability with a project partner? The reward system? Tips are always welcome.

Countdown to Conference

The annual Romance Writers of America conference starts in nineteen days. During the month of July, I am usually writing fast and furious trying to finish a manuscript to pitch at the conference. This year is no exception.

I have a short women’s fiction manuscript I wrote last year that has received one rejection and has been on my hard drive collecting imaginary dust. This is a definite no-no in the aspiring writer’s world of trying to get published. No one will buy your manuscript if it sits in your desk drawer, computer, etc.

I wrote a few chapters of a second story set in the same fictional town, then set it aside to focus on my children’s stories. I had no problem with this for a few months. Then I started thinking about the main characters in the second book. I wondered what happened to them, but I didn’t know because I never finished the story. They wouldn’t leave me alone. So I printed out the first story again and asked one of my critique partners to read it. She did and gave me lots of wonderful comments. I talked to another writer friend about the manuscript and decided to expand the story, make it longer, so I can pitch it to someone else at the upcoming conference.

I have quite a few pages left to write. Here’s hoping I make it. I’ll just have to do it one page at the time.