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Next to the laptop/computer or pen and paper/pad/notebook, perhaps
the deadline is the writer’s second best friend.
I’ve encountered writers who set definite
timetables for writing, and they’re mostly the writers who have
developed a keen sense of discipline.
The discipline may work in different ways for
different kinds of writers, of course. Novelists know how much time
they should allot to writing the next chapters of their
works-in-progress, as their works really take time to develop. On
the other hand, there are poets who strive to wake up every day and
jot down a couple of lines or so every day as a routine. Even if
their genre seems easier to write due to its shortness, it’s not
like that.
In between the novelist and the poet are short
story writers who always have their notebooks in tow and jot down
every good idea that pops in their minds once in a while, or they
also try to scribble down something every day, a paragraph or two,
which may not make sense yet until later on when they develop it.
Similarly, essayists may begin with several concepts and choose
which one to outline first for immediate developing.
Like novelists, scriptwriters for film could
catch their inspiration and then hole in their writing spaces,
following a rigid schedule to finish their film. The playwright
could do the same.
Self-imposed deadlines work differently for
different writers, perhaps dictated by the genre or format of their
choosing. And because most—if not all—writers have primary
and/or secondary “day jobs” other than writing, it’s no wonder
that they really need to schedule their writing time around their
daily routines. Writers who are teachers opt to take sabbatical
leaves in order to have more time to write. Those who work in a more
restricted set-up, like in private corporations, could take a
week’s worth of vacation leave to write. Other writers really try
to fit out of town vacations in their work schedules in order to
write.
Inspiration may come in spurts but writers need
to be disciplined as much as they can. No good story will be
self-written. Writers need to write, rewrite, revise and rewrite
anew in order to produce wonderful material. And they need to find
the time to do that, in order to reach their deadlines.
Whatever strategy a writer imposes upon
her/himself, it doesn’t matter, as long as they get the job
done—and produce the next novel, short story, poem, essay, script
or stage play for everybody to read and enjoy.
Comments? Suggestions? E-mail libay.scribevibe@gmail.com.
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