"No, you can't have everything done first!"

Did you ever have a week when too many things are happening at once?  Welcome to the world of the creative person who still has to deal with the pressures of mundane life.

(please note that until this paragraph, I'd kept my inner geek wrestled down and didn't refer to real life as for the "mundies")

This week, I'm working on reading a dear friend's screenplay, editing another friend's manuscript (I'm glad she's either patient or too polite to tell me she's given up on me taking so long), writing a script for a presentation on Saturday, writing a mystery novel, starting a childrens book, researching a financial grant, and taking in webinars to expand my store of knowledge.  And I'm planning an out-of-town trip in the near future.

So I won't be too long here.

It's all too easy to become overwhelmed when you see the enormity of the tasks before you.  While Nature abhors a vaccuum, you and I frequently like the idea of keeping ones duties in manageable amounts.

(Granted, we don't want our lists too short because that means we are running out of paying gigs, right?)

Sometimes, to keep the pressures at bay, you have to make a schedule for yourself and your creative endeavors.  The key to this is prioritization.

First, make a physical list of everything you think needs to be done today before you go to bed/have dinner/make time for yourself/whatever.  This can also include household tasks, cuddling the S.O., watching your fave TV show, whatever is really important to you and must be executed before the end of the work day.  This list must be written out.  This gives it power by making it real.  Besides, mental lists are like verbal promises ... they aren't worth the paper they're written on.  Don't let this list get any longer than nine items.  There's a lot of stuff that can be done.  The list exists to demonstrate what must be accomplished today.

Second, examine the list thoughtfully.  What has a firm deadline and what doesn't?  Which deadline comes sooner?  Is it a paying job or one done for fun or as a favor?  This is where you decide which is more important, love or money.

Third, alphabetize by priority.  Any deadline job might get an A while something for free might get a B.  Reserve C for stuff you've wanted to work on, but it can wait. Obviously, if your list is longer than three items, some letters will be used more than once.  I'm ahead of you here.

Fourth, number each task within each letter grouping.  Look at your A tasks and decide which one needs to be worked on first and which one(s) can wait.  Then do the same with your B groupings and then C.  You will wind up with a 9-item list with a A1 job ... that one should be worked on uber alles if possible.  Then your A2 and A3 jobs, followed by B1, B2, B3, C1, C2, and C3. 

This gives you a roadmap of what requires your attention first.  And if more than one task requires some labor, even if it's not to complete the job but to make some headway, then set a timer for an hour.  That will represent the maximum amount of time you should allow for any given effort, although you may find you wrap up your task in less than sixty minutes.  On the other hand, you may find yourself on a creative roll, in which case you'll reset the timer for another 30-60 minutes.

Feel free to remake this list every working day.  As you remove jobs as they're completed or cancelled -- it happens -- or reprioritized (because deadlines are changed or you realize you didn't give the proper importance to some task), re-do your list.  A priority list shouldn't be used for more than a couple days in a row, really.  If nothing else, re-do the list to ensure that your focus is on the proper jobs in the right order.

As I said, priorities can change for any number of reasons.  Thus, yesterday's C3 task could be your  A1 tomorrow.  Don't panic ... this is perfectly normal and usually means you're getting stuff done and out the door.

Making a priority list is how you forbid the jobs at hand to overwhelm you.  Remember the old saying, "By the yard, it's hard.  But by the inch, it's a cinch." 

"I was sick when my dog ate my manuscript, just before my ex came over, wanting to make up."

Last time around, I spoke of the importance of deadlines.  In the world of print, there's a whole lot of people who can't do what they need to do (usually in order to be paid) until you complete your literary task.  If nothing else, an audience awaits you.  Produce on schedule and you become a joyous habit for them.  Don't produce on time, they find another addiction.

However, as vital as deadlines are, there are times when it's understandable to ignore them.

My wife works in a day care and is thus exposed to several dozen small children.  The age range spans infants to sixth graders and all of them seem to be carriers for the disease du joir.  Well, the missus contracted a rather vigorous stomach flu and being the dutiful husband and faux nurse that I was, I got the bug too.  Boy, did I get the bug!  Without going into glorious breakfast-ruining detail, let's just say I lost ten pounds in ten minutes the hard way.  But I digress ...

I've missed deadlines.  I'll miss more (this blog notwithstanding).  So will you.  There are times when it is unavoidable, however, so learn to live with it.

For instance, you cannot predict getting sick (as I can attest).  We should all try to take care of ourselves like actors during the last two weeks of rehearsals.  When the premiere looms, you will never find a more health-conscious group of people than actors.  We suddenly remember to take our vitamins every day.  We somehow find time for a power nap and rediscover the joys of fresh vegetables. We should remember how to take such care of ourselves every week of the year, right?  Uh-huh ... pull the other one.

However, there are times when illness is as avoidable as either Death or Taxes.  In that case, perhaps the proper course of action might be to work as far ahead of deadline as possible.  Very few editors will shout at you for turning in your work ahead of schedule.  If you aren't sure your editor is one of those, run a test where you amaze him/her with your deadline-meeting skills.

But you can't predict illness and most editors should understand.  Once you believe your physical condition will affect your writing negatively, let the editor know!  Sometimes, you can't give your boss too much information.

Sometimes, you cannot schedule a needed interview for an article.  Or some component, such as a book to assist with your research doesn't arrive in time.  A lot of this can be solved in advance with some proper time-management skills, of course.  Remember, the local library is open all week long except holidays.  Get your Plan B in place when lining up your A because crap occurs.

There are also times when nothing comes together for your article. I was writing an article on a comic book series that was announced back in the '80s, but never saw print.  So I got the phone number of the writer and contact info on the artist.  After a month's worth of attempts, neither one would get back to me.  Since this was a spin-off of an existing series, I contacted the artist of the parent comic because we'd talked before and gotten along quite well.  It seems that he'd done a podcast and pretty much outlined his involvement -- or lack thereof -- with the spin-off.  While I'd rather have talked to my friend -- always looking for an excuse -- I could still use the podcast as a source.  Then I also got ahold of the editor of the series.via Facebook.  His more-polite-than-I-probably-deserved reply was that this spin-off represented the absolute nadir of his professional life and he'd spent many years trying to forget this book.  So I had virtually no one who could, or would, discuss the comic with me.

(actually, he was quite polite about it ... but what's a little drama in the retelling?)

Once I realized the unwritability of this article, I contacted my editor immediately!  He reassured me that this happened all the time, that sometimes an article simply can't be written.  This had happened with two other writers for this issue, it seemed.  But he was glad to know as soon as he did so he could make alternate plans.  It seems he had his Plan B in place already.

Despite my editor's reassurances, I was annoyed that the history of this aborted comic series would be lost to time.  But I digress ...

When you run into problems, talk to your editor immediately!  The editor may have a solution to your problem.  If nothing else, the sooner they know of your dilemma, the sooner they can design a solution, whether it includes your work or not.  It beats the heck out of blowing off the deadline.  So own up!  It's easier on everyone involved.

But if you can't write the article, for whatever good and proper reason, you cannot write it.  But be professional, apologize, and perhaps you'll get another assignment because the editor would probably rather have a good article from you rather than one you simply ground out to make a deadline.  Now what about that dreaded deadline?  It is the alpha and omega of publishing?

When I worked in newspapers, there was one deadline and it was to be adhered to uber alles!  In the daily journalism trade, the time between the deadline and going to press is a matter of hours.  In magazines, it is a little more flexible, especially if your editor and publisher have their acts together.  As one of my editors told me (and I was sworn to secrecy so guess all you want, I won't confirm or deny), "There are deadlines ... and there are deadlines."

Many print magazine editors will tell YOU what the deadline is, but it isn't necessarily his/hers.  Many editors will set a deadline that gives them time to handle problems, to edit the article, to move it through the gauntlet of production, and then to publication.  You are not the only player in the editor's game, remember?

But treat their deadline as THE deadline.  It's all a part of keeping your editor good and gruntled, which could lead to further assignments.  If they choose to cut you some slack by cutting into their production time, be grateful and cooperative.  But don't assume that your writing is so precious that you are worth blowing a publishing deadline.  Chances are that you aren't.

What's the best defense against missing a deadline?  Manage your time and resources so you can turn in your work before the dreaded date ahead of time or at the latest, on the day of deadline. If blowing the deadline is unavoidable on your part due to illness or other difficulties, communication with your editor is as vital as communicating with your friends and family.

And I blew last week's deadline and almost this one's.  However, there has been illness and other difficulties as of late, all of which have been dealt with.  Fortunately, I am my own editor so I get to do that.  After all, there are deadlines ... and there are deadlines. 

By the way, discussion is welcome in the convenient box below.  Or if you're shy, drop me a line at bkmorris56@gmail.com.  And let's see what I come up with next week ... on time, if I do this right. 

So discuss already ... what is your experience with deadlines?  What's kept you from making them?  What do you do to make sure you beat the submission date?  Have any horror stories about trying to reach the finish line on time?  I'd love to hear it!