I am not a published author, or an author really of any sorts. I am a writer though, and being a writer means producing work. The pro of being an unpublished, unagented writer means you can take your time with your work, having the time to rewrite and polish it to “perfection”. However, getting in a habit of taking your time can really affect your career. You can’t spend too much time on one project if you want to get your name out there, you have to produce content on a regular basis, which means you need to work on time management skills so you can finish things by deadlines. If any of you are struggling with this, here are some of my tips for any of you working towards a deadline, or if you want to get in the habit of working on deadline.

Make a Plan/Schedule

Sit down and figure out when your deadline is. Maybe it is a month away or an entire year, whatever it is, figure out how many hours you need to spend each day to work towards this deadline and finish on time. Don’t put too much on your shoulders though, and find out what works best for you. Maybe you want to get 2,000 words done each day, but tackling 2,000 words every single day can be a bit daunting so split it up. Aim to write 500 hundred words in the morning, another 500 in the afternoon, and then 1000 at night!

Set Up a Rewards System

Writing is a mind draining task so reward yourself! Again, tailor this to what works best for you. Maybe if you write six out of seven days you get to take an entire evening off, or you get to buy yourself your favourite drink from a coffee shop. Whatever motivates you to keep writing, well that is what you should reward yourself with for a job well done.

Plan Out Each Writing Day

What I mean by this is to plan out what exactly you are going to write each day. Sit down the night after you finish writing for the day and map out the plot points or scenes you want to hit the next day. Just jot down a few notes and it will be so much easier to knock out your word counts because you will know what you need to get done and how to get there.

Remind Yourself Why You Love Writing

Sometimes while stressing about meeting word counts and getting work done on time, we forget why we love what we are doing in the first place. Watch some videos on writing or read a book you love, whatever it takes to remind you why you are putting all this energy into your story in the first place. Falling back in love with your work will make the biggest difference when you sit down to write because it will fill you with purpose and motivation to get it done.

Submit to Writing Contests

This is a great way to work on writing on deadline when you don’t have an agent or are not a published author. It is a deadline you set for yourself and if you don’t meet it then oh well! Usually writing contests reoccur every year or even every couple of months. Besides, there are so many amazing contests to submit to so you will never run out. I write short stories on the regular and submit them, and because of this I have gained really valuable skills such as producing quality work in shorter amount of times, and taking in rejection. I really recommend all writers do this!

That is all my tips for writing on deadline and I hope you enjoyed! Don’t forget to check out my last blog post which is linked below, and also follow my social media accounts for more writing and book related content 🙂

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