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The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World…Word by Word

The Steve Laube Agency

The Steve Laube Agency

Helping to Change the World Word by Word

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Home » The Writing Life » Page 26

The Writing Life

How to Meet Deadlines

By Bob Hostetleron October 21, 2021
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Many years ago, I had the honor of eating lunch with a big, fancy, important editor I’d been working with for a few years. I asked him to critique my work and, to make a long story short, he emphasized my strengths: good copy, delivered on time.

“That’s it?” I answered. “Good copy on time?”

He said, “You’d be surprised.”

So, ever since, I’ve worked hard to deliver good copy on time. Every time. That means not missing deadlines. In the nearly thirty years since that lunch with a big, fancy, important editor, I’ve never missed a deadline. I’ve renegotiated a few, but I’ve missed zero.

How have I done that? I’m glad you asked. Because otherwise, I’d have a much shorter blog post. (You’re kicking yourself for asking, aren’t you?) Here are a few of the things I do to make sure deadlines are my friends:

Plan ahead

I’m a careful planner. I keep a detailed calendar and to-do list (a bullet journal, if you must know). I put every deadline (speaking, writing, rewriting, editing, etc.) into my calendar.

Make incremental deadlines

I don’t stop with writing a deadline in my calendar; I then break it into incremental deadlines for myself. So, for example, if I have a 60,000-word first draft to produce in six months, I break it into monthly deadlines (10,000 words each month) and weekly benchmarks (gotta produce at least 2,500 words every week), etc. For every project on my to-do list. Lather, rinse, repeat.  

Work ahead

As I wrote in a recent blog post on the working writer’s lifestyle, I work as far ahead as possible. (For example, I’m writing this post almost two months before it’s due.) I take great pleasure in “beating” my own deadlines whenever possible—and so much better if it’s by a long shot. This relieves my stress and prevents last-minute panic. (I have enough panic in my life without the panic produced by procrastination.)

Lie to yourself

I also lie to myself. Say I’ve signed a contract for something that’s due on April 1. I intentionally try to forget that date and schedule the deadline in my calendar for, say, March 1. My memory is poor enough to often replace the “official” deadline with the new, sooner deadline I create, which increases the odds—and the ease—of meeting the original deadline. In addition, my memory is poor enough to often replace the “official” deadline with the new, sooner deadline I create, which increases the odds—and the ease—of meeting the original deadline.

It’s not rocket science, I know. But these simple measures have saved my bacon more times than I can say.   

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Category: The Writing LifeTag: Deadlines

Fun Fridays – October 15, 2021

By Steve Laubeon October 15, 2021
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While rather corny, today’s video is at least entertaining! Enjoy the MozART group performing “How to Impress a Woman.” Dare I say that I was impressed too? (If you cannot see the embedded video in your newsletter email, please click the headline and go directly to our site to view it.)

Read moreFun Fridays – October 15, 2021
Category: The Writing Life

21st-Century Writing

By Bob Hostetleron October 13, 2021
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I’ve been writing and publishing for a long time. Just look at me: a lonnnnng time. During those many years of experience, I’ve learned a thing or two. Maybe three. And among the things I’ve learned about writing for publication is that writers in the twenty-first century must do things differently than writers in previous centuries. Sure, generally speaking, the rules of fiction and nonfiction …

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Category: Grammar, Language, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life, Trends, Writing Craft

How to Fight Cancel Culture As a Christian Author with Laura Lynn Hughes

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on October 12, 2021
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It’s no question that we live in a “cancel” culture. It may be tempting to bury our heads in the sand and be sure we never do anything to offend anyone. But that’s not how the Bible calls us to live. Countless times throughout the Bible, men and women of God took a stand for […]
You can listen to this episode How to Fight Cancel Culture As a Christian Author with Laura Lynn Hughes on Christian …

Read moreHow to Fight Cancel Culture As a Christian Author with Laura Lynn Hughes
Category: The Writing Life

How to Fight Cancel Culture As a Christian Author with Laura Lynn Hughes

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on October 12, 2021
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It’s no question that we live in a “cancel” culture. It may be tempting to bury our heads in the sand and be sure we never do anything to offend anyone. But that’s not how the Bible calls us to live. Countless times throughout the Bible, men and women of God took a stand for […]
You can listen to this episode How to Fight Cancel Culture As a Christian Author with Laura Lynn Hughes on Christian …

Read moreHow to Fight Cancel Culture As a Christian Author with Laura Lynn Hughes
Category: The Writing Life

Books, Hooks, and Good Looks

By Bob Hostetleron September 30, 2021
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I love hooks. As a writer, I work hard on my hooks. When I was a magazine editor, the hook was often the best way for a writer to make a good first impression on me. And now, for me as a literary agent, the hook is the first and one of the most important criteria I use in evaluating a book pitch, proposal, or manuscript. A good book hook will often prompt me to give a project a more careful, …

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Category: Book Business, Book Proposals, Career, Get Published, Pitch, Pitching, Platform, Self-Publishing, Social Media, The Writing Life

The Writer, Alone in a Village

By Dan Balowon September 29, 2021
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Writing is a strange pursuit. A writer works endless hours in solitary, personal work then, after what seems like an eternity, takes their work out to a world of editors, agents, critics, and readers. Even if you self-publish and desire to skip any outside editorial input, your work will be picked up and read by people who will either endorse or criticize, letting you know right away what they …

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Category: The Writing Life

Where Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie Stobbe

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on September 28, 2021
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Have you ever wondered where Christian publishing came from? I sure have. In the olden days, there were only publishers. But then Christian publishers started to emerge. Why did that happen? What caused it?  To find out, we have a special guest who has worked in the publishing industry for 65 years.   He is the […]
You can listen to this episode Where Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie …

Read moreWhere Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie Stobbe
Category: The Writing Life

Where Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie Stobbe

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on September 28, 2021
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Have you ever wondered where Christian publishing came from? I sure have. In the olden days, there were only publishers. But then Christian publishers started to emerge. Why did that happen? What caused it?  To find out, we have a special guest who has worked in the publishing industry for 65 years.   He is the […]
You can listen to this episode Where Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie …

Read moreWhere Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie Stobbe
Category: The Writing Life

Where Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie Stobbe

By Thomas Umstattd, Jr.on September 28, 2021
Share
Tweet
0

Have you ever wondered where Christian publishing came from? I sure have. In the olden days, there were only publishers. But then Christian publishers started to emerge. Why did that happen? What caused it?  To find out, we have a special guest who has worked in the publishing industry for 65 years.   He is the […]You can listen to this episode Where Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie …

Read moreWhere Christian Publishing Came From with Leslie Stobbe
Category: The Writing Life
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