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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 » Deadlines

Deadlines

6 Joys of Finishing a Writing Project

By Bob Hostetleron February 2, 2023
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The Bible says, “Better is the end of a thing than the beginning thereof” (Ecclesiastes 7:8, KJV). Or, as another version puts it, “It is better to finish something than to start it” (Ecclesiastes 7:8, NCV).

That wisdom applies to everyone on God’s green earth, I’m sure; but it sure feels like it applies more to writers and the writing life. Can I get a witness? I see that hand.

Seriously, as intoxicating as it can be to start a new writing project, finishing something is, as the wise teacher said, better. As Jon Acuff puts it in his excellent book Finish, completing a task or project is giving yourself “the gift of done.” Whether it’s a book proposal, article draft, query, blog post, grant application, or something else, finishing really is a gift you give to yourself, in at least these six ways:

It boosts your self-esteem.

Many people would describe themselves as “great starters” but “lousy finishers.” Who wants to think of oneself that way? When you finish something, you put the lie to that attitude. It fosters a stronger, better self-image.

It clears space in your head.

One of the many reasons I love checking off the items on my to-do list is that, once it’s checked off, I don’t have to think about it or worry about it anymore. It’s done and gone, mentally speaking. I can relax. I can move on.

It clears time in your schedule.

I confess that I’m OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder) and also a cheapskate. So, I love it when I pay off a debt—a car loan or nine-months-same-as-cash sorta deal. It means that amount can then be applied to savings or my donut addiction. The same kind of thing happens when I finish a writing project. Those hours or days that I devoted to, say, my book Nobody Loves You but Your Mother … And She Could Be Jivin’ Too are now freed up for something else, just as good.

It teaches you.

Each of my fifty books have taught me something. Some have taught me more than one thing. If I’d kept them in The Drawer of Unfinished Undertakings, I would’ve missed those lessons and skills.

It opens the door to possibility.

An unfinished proposal won’t get an offer, an unfinished book won’t make any money, an unfinished devotion can’t change a life. It’s the finished project that opens doors, wins awards, and propels you toward the next open door.

It has a snowball effect.

Maybe you’ve experienced this phenomenon: You finally complete that long-delayed piece of writing and check it off your list and, before you know it, another is done, as if by magic! It’s not magic, of course; it’s all about energy and momentum. But finishing—at least in my experience—tends to beget more finishing, and on and on it goes.

So, why not make this the year you give yourself “the gift of done”? I hope you will.

Do these benefits of finishing resonate with you? Why or why not? Do you have any to add? Refute? Dismiss? Protest? Do tell, in the comments.

 

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Category: The Writing LifeTag: Deadlines

Ditch the Deadlines

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon August 18, 2022
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Writers want deadlines to keep us on track to: Submit a proposal Write a book Edit a book Approve the final version of the book Market the book. Rinse and repeat, we hope! Too many? Since we have so many deadlines in our writing lives, do we need more in our personal lives? Of course, we may encounter deadlines whether we want them or not. But I’ve found that taking a different, less goal-oriented …

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Category: The Writing LifeTag: Deadlines

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. …

Read moreHow to Meet Deadlines
Category: The Writing LifeTag: Deadlines

When Life Interrupts

By Steve Laubeon September 14, 2020
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The dream of a new writer is to have all the time in the world to revel in their novel or nonfiction book. To lay back in languid luxury as thousands of teeming fans send messages of adulation throughout the world. Then you wake up and find out the writing life is not that idyllic. Most writers labor under a deadline that was agreed on at the time of their contract. Or a deadline self-imposed as …

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Category: The Writing LifeTag: Deadlines

How Much Time Should I Budget to Write My Book?

By Tamela Hancock Murrayon July 26, 2018
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New authors have a distinct advantage over established authors under deadline: no deadline. As a new author, you may have fiddled with your novel for years. Perhaps you’ve entered contests and incorporated feedback. Maybe you’ve read books about writing and attended conferences. After all this effort, you landed a contract. Congratulations! Now you may have another happy problem: estimating how …

Read moreHow Much Time Should I Budget to Write My Book?
Category: Career, The Writing LifeTag: Career, Deadlines, The Writing Life, Time Management

The Bottom Line – Get It Done, Well

By Dan Balowon April 10, 2018
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Writing books is a performance business. At the end of the day, week or whatever time period applies, an author produces something on a schedule. I know many people write without any firm deadline as they are just starting out writing for illumination and enjoyment, but honestly, I can’t imagine working without a deadline and not self-imposing one. I’ll intentionally place myself in a position …

Read moreThe Bottom Line – Get It Done, Well
Category: Book Business, Career, Platform, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Career, Deadlines, The Writing Life

Deadlines Are Friends, Not Nemeses

By Bob Hostetleron November 1, 2017
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When is your next deadline? What? You don’t have one? Why not? Aren’t you a writer? I know some writers create fine prose or poetry without deadlines—I just don’t know how they do it. “But,” you may protest, “I don’t have a contract yet. How can I have a deadline?” I suggest you always have a deadline, whether a publisher imposes it or not. No one is preventing you from making—and meeting—your own …

Read moreDeadlines Are Friends, Not Nemeses
Category: Book Business, Contracts, The Writing LifeTag: Book Business, Contracts, Deadlines

Deadlines Born – Deadlines Made

By Steve Laubeon August 21, 2017
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Deadlines. The bane of every writer’s existence. “A necessary evil.” “My nemesis.” I talked to an author who changed the internal time clock on his computer just so he could have three extra hours, claiming he was writing on the West coast (USA) instead of where his office was (East coast USA). Writing Without a Deadline (Deadlines Born) Not everyone, however, is …

Read moreDeadlines Born – Deadlines Made
Category: Get Published, The Writing LifeTag: Deadlines, The Publishing Life, The Writing Life

Are Deadlines Killing Your Christmas?

By Karen Ballon December 14, 2016
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Remember the days when all we had to do at Christmas time was sip hot chocolate, trim the tree, and wrap gifts, all while listening to Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole croon out those wonderful old carols? Yeah, me neither. For so many of us, Christmas has become another item on our To-Do list. One that we keep moving as deadlines grow ever more dire. It’s crazy. This time of year, the time when we …

Read moreAre Deadlines Killing Your Christmas?
Category: Faith, The Writing LifeTag: Christmas, Deadlines, Faith, The Writing Life

Deadlines…A Date With Destiny

By Dan Balowon November 29, 2016
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We need to create some new English words to describe certain things. For instance, I do not like the fact that people who handle money for others are called “brokers.” I also dislike the term “deadline” as it indicates something negative will occur at a certain date or time. Maybe it is why some or most people are fearful of deadlines. I do not like a “line of death.” Even “target date” has a …

Read moreDeadlines…A Date With Destiny
Category: Contracts, Editing, The Writing LifeTag: Deadlines, The Writing Life
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