Writing is relaxing, it’s a way to express yourself, it’s enjoyable… and the first time you are given a deadline to complete a project it is mind boggling.
The simple truth is that most editors want work done on a timely basis. Non-fiction writing assignments are normally assigned according to a preset editorial calendar and/or seasonally. The editor who assigns Christmas or Chanukah themed articles can’t wait until mid-December when the piece needs to go to press six weeks earlier. Fiction publishers want new stories and full books regularly so that your name and the publishing company maintains a constant presence in front of readers. I’ve heard of friends who are given actual dates that they MUST turn in the next 30 pages or so.
Despite the pressure of deadlines most writers do enjoy their work. For some writing is as necessary as breathing. So how do you manage to meet those deadlines on a regular basis? If you can’t keep up there’s a strong possibility that writing will only be a hobby and not a career. There are ways to practice on-demand writing so that when the assignment rolls in the words roll out.
Some writing magazines include sample writing “assignments” just for exercise, doing those exercises can be fun and definitely they are good conditioning. (Yes, that was the way I “trained”.) You can schedule a time every evening to write three paragraphs describing everything you did that day — no more than three paragraphs and no less; in addition to writing on-demand you should also train yourself to write a specific amount each time. I write (non-fiction) for multiple clients; in two cases my assignments average seven to ten days including research and/or interviews, on client requires 700-word articles, the other has a range of 600 to 650 words. Too many or too little words just doesn’t cut it on these assignments.
While you are in training remember to build up your endurance. Allow yourself a shorter piece to write (like the three paragraphs suggested earlier) and as your writing muscles build go for longer pieces. The average novel runs about 65-thousand to 120-thousand words so it takes lots of muscle building. Every year there is an event called NaNoWriMo; National Writing month is in November and writers are challenged to write 50-thousand words in 30-days. Not everyone finishes and some of those that do wind up editing and sending their work out to publishers and some have been successfully published by either traditional or self-pubbed venues. Whether you get your work published or not, everyone who completes the word count in the time allotted is a winner.
Writing Exercise: Choose up to ten topics (any topic like medical milestones, home décor, finances, automobiles, education, relationships, etc) and write one 350-word article every two days.
Writing Prompt: List the main message you think the writer was trying to get across from the last five fiction short stories or full length books you read.
Challenge Assignment: Although November is past make a decision to choose 30-days and WRITE EVERY DAY. Mark your word count on a calendar for each day and total it every week. How many words did you write in 30-days? Make up your mind now to try NaNoWriMo this coming fall.
