Motivation = Deadline + Investment

Last week I wrote about a positive outcome of a writing/revision/submission process. I got so many kind responses, which I really appreciate. Virtual support definitely bolsters the spirit!

I wanted to dig a little deeper into relying on a deadline as a motivational tool, because I think it’s something many writers do. Based on my experience with deadlines, I think there’s a fine line between pressure that moves a writer forward and pressure that holds a writer back.

Start with the pressure of a hard deadline as motivation

I had what I considered a rough draft in January 2022. It needed work. All the parts were there, but I knew the order wasn’t quite right, and maybe some parts could be taken out and other parts could be added. 

I had been saving submission opportunities in a spreadsheet (I’m sure “finding submission opportunities” could be a post on its own, but the short version is, I receive Duotrope’s newsletter and I search Submittable regularly) in preparation for sending my finished manuscript out to relevant competitions and presses. The AWP Kurt Brown Prize deadline was coming up, so it gave me a goal to aim for. I had about two months to whip my draft into submittable shape. 

Put some skin in the game

Time ticked away. I struggled to make progress with my draft. I found it hard to open the doc and dig in. I wasn’t sure where to start. I didn’t feel like I had a fresh perspective on it, or the distance to see what it needed. 

In early April, as the April 15 deadline loomed, I was running out of time. A fellow book coach and writer friend who was working on a draft of her second novel graciously offered to spend some co-writing time with me. We had a couple of productive sessions where we worked silently and independently on the same Zoom call, but on April 7, I realized I was not going to make the April 15 deadline. I knew if I didn't make this goal I had set for myself, my confidence in my writing would be decimated, and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to come back from that.

So I bought myself renewed confidence by working with a book coach. I hired my friend and colleague to help me get my draft into submittable shape. 

Add accountability and feedback

I invested in a book coach knowing full well the price of my investment was equal to the scholarship IF I won, which hardly seemed likely at that moment. But the VALUE of working with a book coach was so much greater than the cost. I needed a book coach’s holistic perspective on what makes a piece of writing coherent and cohesive. I needed a book coach’s ability to find the problems and make suggestions for improvement. I was too close to my own material and I certainly was allowing the pressure of the deadline interfere with my creativity and editing skills. We came up with a plan so that she would have time to read and provide feedback on my draft and I would have time to revise and get more feedback and submit to the contest by the deadline.

Achieve your goals

For me, the VALUE was in making the deadline. I got my confidence in my ability back. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Who was my book coach, you ask? Her name is Ruth Bullivant and you can find her at https://ruthbullivant.com/. I hired her because I trusted her to give me honest and actionable feedback and work with my very aggressive timeline. She agreed to take me on because she knew how motivated I was and how hard I was willing to work to make it happen. 

(If you didn’t know, I’m a book coach too - and if you’re looking for a book coach, I invite you to evaluate as many coaches as it takes to find the best fit between their personality and skills and your needs as a writer.)

Next week, I’ll write Part III - how a writing challenge with constraints created positive deadline motivation.