Tracking Your Progress

Editors are notoriously busy folks, so when I’m lucky enough to score an assignment—whether it’s for a new-to-me market or one I write for regularly—I try to get my questions out of the way early on so I can move forward with any necessary interviews and then the writing. I don’t want to bug the editor with a lot of questions as I work on the piece. If everything goes according to plan, once the piece is accepted or assigned and I’m clear on the direction, the editor won’t hear from me until the story’s finished. Of course, there have been some instances where I was having a lot of trouble contacting a particular source or I needed an extension on a deadline, but as long as I gave them a some notice (as opposed to not turning anything in), it’s never been a problem. Every editor is different, obviously—some may want to be kept informed of how the story is progressing, for better or worse—but in most cases, I’m pretty invisible until the deadline rolls around.

I’m taking a different approach with my business clients already, however.

With an article, the editor typically sets the deadline and it’s up to me to deliver on time. A businessperson, however, isn’t as familiar with editorial timelines—I may have a rough idea of how long a project will take, and it could seem like forever to a businessperson (most of whom need things yesterday if not sooner). So out of courtesy to my client, I’ll provide them with progress reports as I complete various steps of the project. Some request this up front; others may not. But for my last project—which admittedly took much longer than I’d anticipated—I included the client on various emails and would just keep him informed as I moved along. I don’t want anyone to think that work isn’t being done, or that it’ll be rushed at the eleventh hour. He didn’t respond to all of my emails, but I think he appreciated being kept in the loop. Since our client base is still building, it’s more important than ever to make a good impression.

What about you? Do you maintain contact with clients and editors as you work on your various projects, or do you disappear until deadline day?

Back…Back…Back…Back to School Again

(I thought I'd kick off the week with a little Grease 2 reference).

Blogging has taken a major backseat this summer, especially over the past few weeks. I’ve had a blur of interviews, frantic writing sessions, and meeting deadlines. It’s been hectic since mid-July, with no end in sight.

I should warn that my posts will become more sporadic again at the end of August. I just can’t cram enough into my schedule. Besides all of the other things I have going on, I decided to get my Master’s degree moving again and signed up for another course. I keep telling myself that I’m in the home stretch—at the end of this semester I’ll only have 6 credits left until I have my degree!

How has the summer been treating everyone? As you can tell, it’s been one of my busiest, writing-wise, that I can honestly remember. July was my most financially lucrative month since I started freelancing, so I’m totally thrilled. I have a few more assignments due in the next few weeks and a few lined up for September, but with the way my schedule is looking, unless some totally fabulous assignment (or idea) falls into my lap, the writing will have to once again take a back seat while I spend most of my time in academia.

I’ve been working on some pretty great assignments and I have some other very interesting projects in the works, so I really can’t complain. The writing life is good!

How is your fall shaping up?

How's Your Summer Looking?

Going into June, I had only a few projects on deck. Now that it's approaching July (yikes! How did that happen?), I'm looking at one busy summer!

I have 4 articles due, a blog post (which can turn into a steady gig), and over the weekend I connected with an editor on a rush project he was working on--although the project's on hold for the moment (apparently all of the writers were having some difficulty capturing the right "voice" forthe project), the editor liked my style and said he would send me additional projects. Let's hear it for networking!

All of that, plus researching each piece as needed, should fill up my schedule quite nicely. I'm also on the schedule for 2 classes this fall--both are brand new to me, so I have to start from scratch and create a syllabus, new materials, the works. Throw in my ever-growing list of books to read and the social invitations that have been coming in, and it'll be September again before I know it :(

I'm extremely grateful for all of these projects, however. It's starting to feel as though all of my hard work is finally, finally, finally paying off.

What about you? What projects are filling your calendar this summer?

Flickr photo by DonnaWhite2010

Hugging My Deadlines

Most writers design their whole work schedule around their respective deadlines, whether it’s something due daily, weekly, or a one-time assignment due in several weeks. Most writers that I know agree that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to be effective without deadlines—even if we have to set them for ourselves.

I’ve never missed a deadline (although I admit to asking for an extension a few times), and I usually like to be a few days ahead of schedule. A few weeks ago I was working on a beast of an article that required several interviews, changes, and additions, and it occupied most of my week, and I somehow managed to complete it a full week ahead of the due date. They’re the ideal situations, but as most of us know, unforeseen circumstances can pop up at any time and make finishing a piece a real challenge.

I was working on another piece that seemed to have no end in sight. Again, I wanted to interview several folks, and working around schedules can be difficult. After numerous messages, unanswered calls, and rounds of phone tag, before I knew it, I was staring my deadline straight in the face and was nowhere near finished. Somehow—no doubt there was some divine intervention involved—I was able to connect with 2 folks for much-needed quotes late Friday afternoon, which meant I spent all day Sunday writing to get the piece finished in time for my Monday deadline. Whew! I felt a little bit like a college student pulling an all-nighter—not normally how I like to work, but I got it done and that’s the bottom line. Despite our best efforts and no matter how much we plan, sometimes we do wind up going right down to the wire. I have a few more pieces in the works, and trying to get as much of a jumpstart as I can now to keep this from happening again.

What about you? What do you do to prevent last-minute cram sessions? Even the best of us face one of these now and then—how do you handle them?

Time Management for Writers

One of the biggest challenges that writers face is simply finding the time to sit down and, well, write. In fact, ask a group of wannabe writers why they haven't started the process and the majority of them will say, "I don't have time."

This could very well be the case. Demands of a spouse, kids, job, church activities, or any other volunteer commitments definitely put a strain on our schedules. But if writing is truly what you love to do more than anything, you'll find the time to fit it in between your other commitments.

I admit that I don't have many of the demands that most writers have. I'm single, have no kids, and I have a job that I leave behind at 4:30 every day--I don't have the type of job where I need to bring work home or put in extra hours at the office. But I do have a full-time job, go to grad school part-time, serve as president of my local writer's group, and have to fit in interviews and research time for articles and projects in between all of that. Oh, and there are those family events and alone time with the b.f. that I like to include, too.

But it can be done, even with a jam-packed schedule. Below are a few tips to help you say "I don't have the time to write" a bit less often.

• Work backwards from your deadlines. If you're already churning out articles, try to get a definite deadline from your editor. If they don't have set deadlines (and some don't), set one for yourself and notify the editor when you expect to have the piece finished. This way, you're obligated to both the editor and yourself to put in the time needed to get the piece done. Set a timeline for research, interviews, and actual writing time working back from the deadline you've established so you leave yourself enough time to get each stage completed. You may feel less overwhelmed or stressed, too.

• Develop a daily or weekly to-do list. This practice above all others has helped me stay on track with my goals and commitments. If you have more than one project going on at a time, work on them a little at a time. Include tasks for following up with editors, emails to sources, questions about photos, etc.

• Set aside some time each day to write. Even if you can only spare an hour, make the most of it. If you work better in the early mornings, get up a bit earlier to get some tasks accomplished. I find that I get a lot of little things (emails, etc.) finished around 10 p.m. I prefer early Saturday and Sunday mornings for my actual writing time, and find that I feel this great sense of productivity all day! If you have kids, steal some time when they're napping, at their friends', or otherwise occupied.

• Cut what you can out of your schedule. If you have kids and are used to chauffeuring them here and there, maybe you can work out a carpooling schedule with another parent. Or maybe you can arrange for a baby-sitter for your kids one or two nights a week. Look at your various volunteer activities--are you devoting as much of yourself as you can, or are you simply spread too thin as it is? Perhaps you need to reduce your time commitments, or just need to say "No" more often. You'd be surprised how much time saying "No" a little more frequently will free up!

• Make the most of lunch breaks. Since I share an office, and work in fairly close quarters with the rest of the staff at work, I'm limited with my time during the day. This makes for tricky business when I have to schedule interviews or talk to folks during the workday. I do my best to schedule phone interviews during my lunch break, when I can have some time out of the office. As a last resort, I email questions to my sources. I much prefer face-to-face interviews, but obviously, geography is often a huge obstacle. As most writers will agree, the majority of interviews are done over the phone.

How do you manage your time when it comes to writing? Do you get it all in?