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DEADLINES AND REWARDS
 By Julia Justiss Congratulations to Mitzi H. for winning!Probably it started in grade school. You had a spelling test on Friday, so sometime before Friday, Mom would corner you with the list and make you practice those spelling words. Or maybe you were the responsible one and tracked Mom (or Dad or grandma or friend) down for some rehearsal time. But at some point early in most of our lives, we discover the existence of tasks that must be completed by a certain date. From spelling lists to exams to work projects to holiday shopping, forever afterward, we often seem to run from deadline to deadline. For those of us lucky enough to get paid for writing, deadlines are a fact of life that can be alternately reassuring (I have a job!) a reminder (this story needs to be finished by the beginning of March,) or panic-inducing, depending on the time remaining compared with the amount of work left to finish. But whether the deadline is for an engineering project, a holiday shopping list or a novel, most of us like to celebrate meeting it with something that marks our satisfaction. Like champagne. Or chocolate. Or if monetary rewards come at the end of the rainbow, indulging in a special treat. My favorite indulgence (other than chocolate, of course) is (what else?) buying more books. Research books, generally, for an historical writer can’t ever get enough. But I’ll also usually reward myself for completing a manuscript by indulging in a binge of reading those newly-released books that I had to put aside while everything focused on finishing by the deadline. So, what deadlines chase you? How do you reward yourself for meeting them? One responder who comments by Tuesday evening March 23 will receive a copy of A MOST UNCONVENTIONAL MATCH, my first book on the current contract deadlines. 18 Responses to “DEADLINES AND REWARDS”Leave a Comment |
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March 22nd, 2010 at 8:14 am
Hah! So funny, because I just finished the rough draft of my latest WIP last night, and I’m planning on having a reading orgy. Plus I’m stopping by See’s Candies either today or tomorrow.
March 22nd, 2010 at 8:16 am
i hate deadlines of any kind and i dont wrote ,lol :dizzy:
i hate being timed ,, appts, and all that
March 22nd, 2010 at 8:26 am
Congrats, Lorelie, on finishing the wip! BTW, what kind of See’s Candies do you buy?
LOL, Tamibates. So you avoid being cornered with timelines as much as possible? That’s so hard to do these days. One of the nice things about vacation; we just got back from spring break with my son in DC and it was great to sleep until we wanted to get up and watch movies as late as we pleased!
March 22nd, 2010 at 9:55 am
I don’t like deadlines myself and try not to have them, I am not a writer,but there is times I do have them for such things as appointments. I usually try to get things done as i can but that doesn’t always work. Like now when we get a little sunshine you want to let things go just so you can enjoy the beautiful weather for a day!
March 22nd, 2010 at 9:58 am
I know I need deadlines for certain tasks because otherwise they wouldn’t get done but they do weigh on me sometimes – like Christmas shopping lol. I really don’t have any that deserve rewards but I do treat myself every night by putting time aside for reading.
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:09 am
Hi,
I just graduate from college in January so i currently have no deadlines chasing me. I do remember when i was in college i would reward myself by buying some expensive Carmel filled chocolate and every time i finished an assignment i would allow myself to have a piece. I always tried to find chocolate that had sections that corresponded to the amount of work i had and then used the chocolate as a count off as well. ^^
Melissa
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:31 am
When I’ve met a deadline it means that I have more free time which I like to use to bake up a treat, like chocolate brownies.
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:46 am
As of right now, I do not have any deadlines… never really thought about rewarding myself… but then again, I watch my little nephew all week and at the end I reward myself with books to relax with over the weekend with!!! :cheerful:
March 22nd, 2010 at 11:43 am
I enjoy a new book
March 22nd, 2010 at 5:30 pm
It seems most of the group are united in not liking deadlines and in enjoying either books or chocolate to mark their termination if forced to submit to one.
Melissa, I like the idea of having a sectioned candy that you can break down so you get one piece for each part of the job you complete–milestones along the way and an incentive to keep going and finish just that bit more that will win you the treat.
Catslady and Peggy, I’m with you on believing that finding reading time is one of the best treats.
Sue A, good on you for baking your own treats. I must admit, for me, having someone else do the baking/cooking is part of the treat!
Colleen, getting a break after chasing around active kids is definitely treat-worthy! Though that might call for something a bit stronger than chocolate
Quilt lady, I’m sooooo ready for sunshine and warm weather. We just spent a week with my son in DC for spring break and the last few days were gorgeous, full sun and cloudless sky. Then we flew home to Dallas…and it was SNOWING!!! That was sooo not fun. Fortunately, today the weather has turned warm again. Hopefully, we won’t see any more snow for the rest of the season!
March 22nd, 2010 at 7:03 pm
What is a deadline for me is getting all my bill payments sent off on the first of every month. The first always seems to sneak up on me.
And I reward myself for any good thing I do by getting a cinnamon dolce latte from Starbucks.
March 22nd, 2010 at 7:06 pm
Mostly in my job (I’m a branch librarian!) I don’t have many deadlines. Every once in a while, I will buy a special candy to reward myself, mostly I spend the bucks on books, books, and more books!!!!
March 22nd, 2010 at 8:02 pm
Jody, I’m with you…except the bills don’t all come at the beginning of the month. Some of the pesky critters come just before mid-month and those are the ones I am always in danger of forgetting, because I’m not sitting down to do a bunch. It’s worth a reward (oh, Starbucks!) to make sure you get them done on time, for late fees are generally more than several cinnamon dolce lattes (my younger son’s favorite coffee, btw.)
Martha, I think being a librarian is one of those dream jobs…being around books all day. I worked in my college library when I was at school, initially as a “shelf reader” picking out damaged books for repair, then repairing them. That was fun! Somehow, though, there is always a list of books you just have to buy. Like rabbits, the number seems to multiply rapidly!
March 22nd, 2010 at 8:03 pm
It seems I’m always on a deadrun to meet deadlines, but in my profession a deadline equals payday. When my file is complete and turned in for audit…I get paid. Then I treat myself to a long pedicure while I read a new novel.
March 22nd, 2010 at 10:54 pm
I don’t have too many deadlines to meet, but when I finish something I’ve been working on I like to go out for a nice lunch with my daughters.
March 23rd, 2010 at 12:38 am
I’m in college so most of my deadlines are papers. After I finish one, I usually take a nice long rest. I tend to procrastinate so I need to catch up on my sleep after pulling an all nighter.
March 23rd, 2010 at 12:06 pm
Thankfully I don’t have many deadlines these days; mostly things like running out of clean clothing or food in the fridge. Then there are the smaller, more immediate ones, like picking the kids up before their teachers wonder if they’ve been abandoned or getting them to piano lessons on time
Chocolate and new books work extremely well as rewards in my world 
Best wishes to you, Julia!
March 23rd, 2010 at 4:46 pm
Ooh, deadlines equally paydays are nice, Mitzi! One of the drawbacks with writing; deadline means you are finished the draft, but then it goes back to the editor who usually asks for revisions, and not until those are back and accepted will payment be initiated, and then it usually takes weeks. So most of us celebrate finishing the draft, since it’s so far removed from the actual $$.
Linda, spending time with family is always a great treat!
Alyn, one of my writer friends does an all-nighter-week before her deadlines, so I imagine she really needs to catch up on her sleep after. I’m usually paced until maybe the last chapter or so, by which time I know the ending and just want to get the words out of my fingers and onto the page soonest.
And yes, Fedora, books and chocolate always work wonders!