Different Kinds of Deadlines

 

Writers have (and dread) deadlines. For writers with different kinds of work on their hands, it can mean different kinds of deadlines.

 

Ever since I decided to make freelance writing more of a hobby than something to earn money from (though I am grateful I still earn money from freelance writing), my deadlines have changed. Gone are the pre-set deadlines of article assignments, articles to write for clients and articles to turn in by a pre-set deadline an editor wants me to meet.

 

These days, I have my own deadlines, and they are all different.

 

Freelance writing may be a hobby for me these days, but I certainly don’t treat it like one! I treat it like a job. Old habits, I suppose. Monday through Friday, I am at the desk and working at it, but instead of pitching articles on a variety of topics or, for the niche writers, on a topic I can write well about, I am submitting essays, short stories, poetry and, lately, micros (very short writing ranging from 50-500 words). I do still write articles, but mainly on topics I am already published in and I know I can write well about. And I usually only pitch or submit articles when I come across a call for articles on something I know I can contribute to.  

 

On that note, I’m always looking for opportunities to submit to magazines, websites and anthologies. These usually have deadlines, and if it’s something I feel I can contribute towards, then I work on doing by that deadline. For example, one magazine will stop accepting submissions for a particular issue on July 31^st, so if I want to contribute, I make a note of this deadline in my planner. Writing the deadlines into my planner helps a lot so I can plan ahead and start getting to work on writing/revising/editing and finalizing my submission so it will be ready in time. Plus, it gives me the chance to plan my week and know what work I should focus on.

 

Sometimes, though, one of the many markets newsletters I am subscribed to might show up in my inbox, with a list of markets with deadlines ending soon. For example, on Monday, I received a newsletter containing markets that had July 31^st deadlines. I made a list of the markets I could submit something to and got busy submitting!

 

There are also deadlines I have which are related to my newsletter. The week I publish the newsletter is “newsletter week,” in which I spend all week putting together everything I will be including in the issue that will go out that weekend. I set deadlines on when I need all interviews and photos turned in. I also have a deadline on when I stop gathering content for the newsletter and start putting it all together. Plus, I have the deadline on when the newsletter must be ready to send out.

 

Then there are the books I write. If I’m doing NaNoWriMo, it goes without saying that the novel I’m writing must be complete by November 30^th. If I’m writing a book attached to a certain holiday, I’ll have a deadline on when to finish writing that book. If I have some free time to work on another book outside of the free ebooks project, then I set a deadline on when to finish writing the first draft. For the free ebooks, my deadline to have the manuscript ready to publish is usually the 25^th of the month.

 

Having these deadlines has definitely been more flexible for me. They also keep me busy, because there’s usually always something I am working on in order to meet a deadline.

 

While every writer cannot have deadlines like these in their writing life, I have found these kinds of deadlines to be less of a stress because they are far in advance. I also usually know what to work on next because of them. And I just like having self-imposed deadlines to get my writing submitted or turned in by, because I would really like to be a part of a publication or a type of anthology. By meeting that deadline and having my work considered, at least I am trying to make that happen.

 

New Book Explores Just How Healthy a Writing Habit Can Be

 

In the year 2020, sometime after the pandemic hit, I was at the end of my rope. In addition to coping with so many people I knew and loved either getting COVID-19 or passing away from it, I lost my job and things seemed to only get worse as the months went by. I started to lose hope. I dreaded waking up the next day to learn about what new disaster had struck. I was and still am a recovering alcoholic, but I was tempted to start drinking again. (Thankfully, I resisted!) I felt useless, powerless and helpless. The future began to look very bleak – if there was going to be a future at all.

 

Then something wonderful happened.

 

After over two years of being unable to write, the day came when I picked up a pen, grabbed a notebook, and started writing again. Writing was the one thing I knew I could rely on, and it ended up being the only thing which, at that time, brought joy into my life again.

 

Writing made me happy. As page after page of that notebook started to fill up with words, I started to feel better about myself – and the possibility of an actual future. While the world was ending, I tried to keep it all going for just one more day by writing.

 

Not only did writing allow me to pick myself up off the floor, but, later on in life, it also helped me come to terms with certain traumas from my past. I was reading a book which shared information about keeping a “trauma journal.” Apparently, this kind of journal helped A LOT of people who survived trauma, just from writing all about it. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about just how writing could provide other kind of health and emotional benefits to people.

 

I threw myself into researching this topic. The result was my new ebook, Write for Your Life! The Health Benefits of Writing.

 

In my research, I discovered the psychological, emotional and spiritual benefits many people have reaped from writing, either by using guided writing in therapy, random writing sessions with freewriting, timed writing sessions or normal writing activities. Not only this, but writing itself allowed many people facing disease and illness eventually regain their health and improve their sense of wellness. Their blood pressure went down, cholesterol levels dropped and cognitive skills improved. Writing soon became a passion for these individuals, and the more they wrote, the better they felt and the better their health improved.

 

Writing that book was definitely an eye-opener. I never knew the health benefits of writing! However, as someone who was able to write again only when my world seemed to be falling apart, and being better off for it, I can see and understand how writing can have a positive impact on someone’s life. I am so glad I followed my curiosity and researched this topic. I am also glad I was able to write a short book about it! This book may not be an exhaustive discussion on the health benefits of writing, but I hope it will serve as a good introduction to people who are interested in how they can improve their health.

 

The best part? Writing is FREE.

 

Here is the book’s blurb:

 

Have you ever felt better after writing down all of those feelings you kept bottled up? Is your journal your go-to every time life gets a little too stressful? Does writing fiction allow you the opportunity to escape from the harsh realities of life?

 

There's a very good reason why you turn to these methods of writing when you have nothing else to use and no one to go to for relief: Writing can help improve your health. Studies have found that the act of writing has helped people improve their mental, physical, emotional and spiritual health. Not only this, but the habit of writing has helped improve cognitive skills and otherwise increased a person's overall intellectual health.

 

If you're looking for a low-cost method to help you cope with stress, anxiety and fear, why not turn to something that is available to you 24/7/365? Writing can help improve your overall health and it provides you with a way to boost your creativity. Write for Your Life! shares just what kind of health benefits await you just from adding the writing habit to your life.

 

Buy link