Deadlines

When you are published through a publisher, you are given deadlines in order to get your book out in a reasonable time frame. You have initial submission deadlines, editing deadlines, revision deadlines and final copy proof deadlines. What if you are self-published? Do you have the same deadlines? Only if you impose them on yourself and probably the deadlines you put on yourself will be quicker than the publisher's deadlines. After all, you want to publish as many books as you can within the calendar year.

When you put deadlines on yourself, sometimes it is harder to stick to them. This is probably true in that you don't feel as pressured if you miss a deadline. You just re-evaluate and say something on the lines of "Okay, I'll just shoot to have that book published by such-and-such date or written or ..." whatever it is you are needing to accomplish at that time.

This writer has set several deadlines for herself and yet hasn't met a good many of them. I'm struggling to really stay on task and keep interest in my writing projects. I don't know if it is just life in general, I've written one novel and am basically satisfied with that, or what, but I need a serious kick in the pants. I need to get back on track as I have several state books in my JGDS series to write; I've got some short stories to put out and have this new novel I thought would be interesting, although after realizing how much research is needed the novel may not be a pressing matter. Four months ago when I stumbled upon the interactive creative writing prompt site, I was inspired by several of the pictures on the site that I wrote out three pages without a problem. Then I had to think about who my characters really are, what their ties to China were, and why they had originally gone to China for a vacation in a time when the US-Chinese relations were not at their best.

I thought when I first started that I could probably write the story and then go back and do all the research and what not but because my story is dated, I found it hard to really write much after the first three pages. I've written a couple of scenes and a prologue, which will probably disappear once the story is completed, but at the time, it was necessary to write it to hopefully lead me in the right direction.

I had set a deadline to have the story written and revised by November so that I could hopefully publish it the first part of 2013. Will I meet this deadline? Probably not. I've got a lot going on and haven't written anything on the story since March.

I also set a deadline to put three more state stories out this year, but again, I've not even written them so I'll have to take the bull by the horns and immerse myself in the writing of the stories. Not meeting deadlines only confirms that I am not disciplined enough to work for myself.

So what is the solution?
- Write everything down on a calendar or some place visible so you are reminded every day.
- Keep a daily to-do list. Cross things off once they are accomplished.
- Start small and don't try to do everything at once.
- Limit your bigger projects to one a week or every couple of weeks or whatever time it takes you to complete the task at hand.
- Break said bigger projects into smaller ones so you do feel like you are acomplishing something.
- Do everything you can to meet your deadlines. If you have a setback, try to regroup and work that much harder to make the next imposed deadline.
- Set your priorities.

What are you doing to keep your self-imposed deadlines?

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Ms. Eldering is the award winning author of the Junior Geography Detective Squad (JGDS), 50-state, mystery, trivia series. Her stories "Train of Clues", "The Proposal" (available as an ebook), "Tulip Kiss" (available as an ebook), and "Butterfly Halves", all placed first, second, or runner up in various contests to include two for Armchair Interviews and two for Echelon Press (Fast and ... themed type contests). Her story "Bride-and-Seek" (available as an ebook) was selected for the South Carolina Writers' Workshop (SCWW) anthology, the Petigru Review. Ms. Eldering makes her home in upper state South Carolina and loves to travel, read, cross stitch and crochet. When she's not busy with teenaged children still at home, working her full-time job as a medical transcriptionist or participating in virtual classroom visits, she can be found at various homeschool or book events promoting her writing.

For more information about the JGDS series, please visit the JGDS blog or the JGDS website

For more information about Elysabeth's other writings, please visit her general writing and family blog or her website

What Does it Mean to be a Writer

The World of Ink Network is currently touring award-winning author Fran Orenstein’s contemporary woman’s novel with paranormal overtones, Gaia’s Gift published by Word Castle. As part of her tour we asked her to share with all of you what it means to be a writer as she has written for children to adults, poetry to short stories and many of her titles has won awards.

What Does it Mean to be a Writer

By: Dr. Fran Orenstein 

For me, writing prose and poetry is the means I use to express myself.  All artists have a unique talent or ability that drives them to create. From the first storyteller chiseling a picture on a cave wall, to today’s writer at a computer, the goal is to produce something they hope people will read.

Personally, being a published author and poet is a fulfillment of a dream I have had since I wrote my first poem at age eight. Part of that dream is to leave a legacy for the future, whether it is simply a book my grandchildren will enjoy and pass on through the generations, to the ultimate dream of producing a classic that will live on forever.

As a writer you must be willing to keep putting ideas down in words, and really want to write. A friend who is a musician and artist said to me many years ago, “When are you going to call yourself a writer?” The question boggled my mind, for I did not consider my self a writer, even though I had been writing academically and professionally for much of my life. I was other things, but I thought, “Me, a writer?”  Then one day, I woke up and realized, “I am a writer.” It did not matter what I wrote, I was producing articles, newsletters, papers, books, short stories and poems, and people were reading them.

Writing is a lonely art. Sometimes, days go by when the only communication you have is with the characters on the page. Then there are the days when nothing happens, words refuse to appear on the page, the book seems to drag, the characters are bland, and you are ready to give it all up. But suddenly there is a breakthrough; your fingers are off and running, and your brain surges forward with new ideas.

The ultimate high for a writer is the day the doorbell rings and you see the brown uniform of the UPS driver rushing away like a felon down your driveway. You open the door and there it is; a plain brown box. You haul it inside, paying no attention to your aching back and run a blade carefully through the tape. You open the flaps and there they are snuggled in bubble wrap. You lift out the top book and hold it in your hands, then stare at the cover like it was the archeological find of the century. You open it and there are the words you slaved over for so many months or years. You clutch it to your chest, then if you are really sentimental you kiss it, as long as nobody sees you.

But the ultimate reason I write is the call from my grandchildren telling me they are so proud to have a Granny who is an author, they love my book, so when is the next one coming.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Fran Orenstein, Ed.D., award-winning author and poet, wrote her first poem at age eight and submitted a short story to a magazine at age twelve. Her published credits include a ‘tween mystery series, The Mystery Under Third Base and The Mystery of the Green Goblin, a fantasy series for ‘tweens, The Wizard of Balalac and The Gargoyles of Blackthorne, a ‘tween fiction novel dealing with childhood obesity, self-image, puberty, and bullying, Fat Girls From Outer Space, (Sleepytown Press), and two young adult historical romances, The Spice Merchant’s Daughter (Whiskey Creek Press), set in France and Prussia between 1685 and 1703 and The Calling of the Flute (Sleepytown Press) set in Lithuania in 1897.

Moving into literature for adults, prize-winning short stories and poetry have appeared in various anthologies. A book of poetry for adults is currently in the works for publication in spring 2012.

About Fran Orenstein's recently released book, Gaia's Gift:

Gaia's Gift is about Rachel Wells, who loses everything she cherishes in a brief summer storm off the coast of Florida.Haunted by the ghosts of her past and survivor’s guilt, Rachel turns her back on the world behind an impenetrable veil of pain.When she receives a gift from the sea and allows the world to intrude, Rachel learns too late that some gifts are not meant to be kept forever. 

Publisher: World Castle Publishing 

ISBN Number:9781937593834

You can find out more about Fran Orenstein, Gaia's Gift and her World of Ink Author/Book Tour at http://tinyurl.com/6wspudw

To learn more about the World of Ink Tours visit http://worldofinknetwork.com