The Dreaded Deadline

So, as predicted the World Cup is stepping on my writing time. I'm not bothered as I know this isn't an excuse to avoid writing, it's just something I want to follow.

I'm glad I'm not in this 14 day screenwriting challenge, as (a) I would have started it late, and (b) I'm watching too much football. What I am curious to find out is how many starters actually finish. Not so I can point fingers and go "Ha, ha!", but to find out if deadlines do more harm than good. Often they can't be avoided and some people say they will thrive on them, but often they are something that just kick us in the ass to remind us that the writing process isn't going like it should, after all if it were you wouldn't be worried by them. If there is a deadline there with no pay cheque, do we just give up when we know the story isn't going well?

For me from a writing point of view the jury is out on deadlines. I'll probably never avoid them all, but I prefer to let things go at their own pace, and if I am serious enough to put the effort in I shouldn't be pushed for time. I said I would get my last script out in a month (I think). I didn't pay too much attention to that and let things go at their own pace. It turned out I was only two days over (okay, I know a month isn't 14 days).

All that said, I would love to have a deadline with a pay cheque at the end :)

C

Tags: Screenwriting