By Christen Krumm, @christenkrumm
Deadlines. As writers, we all have them. Sometimes our best intentions are waylaid by life and the deadlines are a little tighter, a little more uncomfortable than we’d like. I am the queen of tight deadlines. Deadline not tight enough? Hold my coffee, it’ll get tighter. Recently, I found myself in such a situation. Not only had two additional writing opportunities pop up during a fairly tight deadline, but life, as it so surely does, happened. Between a full-time job, my three kids wrapping up school for the year (why do all the things suddenly happen at the end of the school year?) and being home needing all the things, I had an out-of-town business trip that lasted a week, two kids in theater performances over two different weekends, three separate rounds of out-of-town company, and a family reunion. Needless to say, I found myself needing to write all the words in the margins of life — not ideal. Below I’ve shared three ways that I’ve found to survive unexpected tight deadlines.
Three Ways to Survive Tight Deadlines
Don’t focus on the number of words needed. Seriously, don’t. I know this sounds counterproductive, but if you focus on the ginormous amount of word count that you need to get done, you’ll just work yourself into a stress-induced tizzy (I’ve done this a few times). Instead, break your large chunk into smaller chunks, and focus on that. For me, it was chapters per week. Six chapters a week sounds a lot better than 18,000 words a week.
Schedule your writing time and protect it at all costs. This might mean communicating with your spouse, roommate, or others that fight for your time. Sometimes scheduling in writing time means sacrificing your sleep. I love my sleep, so this is a hard one for me, but I remind myself it’s just for a short time.
Writing sprints are your friend (especially if you can get an actual friend to sprint with you). Many times, my scheduled writing time was split—half before the day started, half after. That second writing session was rough. All I wanted to do was veg out on Gilmore Girls and not think about the looming deadline, but with a tight deadline, there is no option to veg. Insert the writing sprint. You can run them with yourself, keeping track of your data on a spreadsheet and trying to one-up yourself with each deadline; you can sprint with a friend via text or Zoom, checking in at the end of each sprint. Another thing I’ve found helpful is using an app such as Forest to lock your phone (Forest is my favorite because you also grow digital trees, and it’s so satisfying to see the small garden or forest you’ve built over your sprinting sessions!)
If you find yourself with a looming, uncomfortably tight deadline, hopefully, you’ll be able to try one (or all) of the tips above. I raise my coffee cup to you. I’m cheering for you.
Your turn: What is one way you’ve learned to survive a tight deadline?
Lyla Taylor has built a social media empire around her Ruby Rose brand. Yet, one wrong post causes her carefully constructed world to collapse. With no other options, Lyla agrees to a six-week reset in rural Montana in what she believes will be a high-end spa. Lyla couldn’t have been more wrong. When her first night on the Milner farm is interrupted by unwelcome guests of the raccoon variety, Lyla is ready to throw in the towel and head back to civilization.
Amishman Reuben Milner may crumble if one more thing is added to his to-do list. After the passing of his dat, Reuben has stepped up to be the man of the family. Reuben has no time to rest with his mem and four sisters still living at home. Not to mention, his secret career as a novelist isn’t exactly in line with a devoted Amish lifestyle.
Reuben doesn’t see any way out of his double life when the elders start pressuring him to join the church. And while the rental of their dawdy house brings in much-needed funds, it soon becomes evident that their high-maintenance guest will add to his workload and stir up fond affections that Reuben must squash down.
When the Milners need help sprucing up their rental, Lyla is quick to jump in, taking her mind off the problems she left behind. But the more Lyla works on the rental with Reuben, the more she wonders if her former life is worth returning to. Yet is it the simple life that Lyla’s heart longs for or a particular guarded Amishman with secrets of his own?
Christen Krumm is the author of the YA romantic comedy, It Happened at Christmas, and her adult fiction debut On the Golden Cliffs. She probably drinks too much coffee and creating stories is her favorite. During the day she runs CK Productions — a virtual assisting business specializing in author assisting and podcast production. Her favorite color is green (or black). She likes big glasses, happy mail, and pretends she likes to run (she doesn’t). She lives with her husband and three wildings in a small Oklahoma town. Connect with Christen at christenkrumm.com and on Instagram @christenkrumm.