The Truth About Deadlines

Shannon Dittemore is the author of the Angel Eyes trilogy. She has an overactive imagination and a passion for truth. Her lifelong journey to combine the two is responsible for a stint at Portland Bible College, performances with local theater companies, and a focus on youth and young adult ministry. For more about Shan, check out her website, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest.

I finished my edits you guys! And while edits are my favorite part, and I am certain they made my story better, I. AM. EXHAUSTED. I look like this.

I have very few words left in my head, but as it is my day to blog, I'm happy to share them with you. Here goes:

Deadlines are good.

Deadlines suck.

Deadlines make you better.

Deadlines make you crazy.

The week before your book is due, you won't be able to escape it. Not on a boat, not in a tree, not in your bed. 

STORY, LET ME BE.

Your family will not get your deadline persona. They won't understand your wild eyes. Or why you're talking to yourself at dinner. Or why you can't just "stop for a sec to watch this Minecraft video."

The dishes will not get done.

Someone else will feed the dog. 

Showering is overrated (change your jammies every now and then, no one will know).

Coffee and keyboards should remain separate entities. 

No you don't need that comma. Or that one. Em dashes are super rad. But cool it on the ellipses.

Your story will change.

Those changes will force other changes and that will make you cry.

Stop crying. You'll figure it out. You always do.

You should give yourself deadlines.

You should invest in eye drops.

There should be a deadline support group. Nevermind. Who has time for that?

Moments of brilliance will be followed by heaps of self-doubt. Keep going. Brilliance comes round again.

You'll take pics of your eye drops and your coffee and your growing TBR pile.

You'll do everything except write.

You'll write.

You'll think, "This is THE BEST story I've ever written!"

You'll think, "Who would ever want to read this?"

You'll get THE GREATEST idea. But not for the book you're working on. No, this idea will be for THE NEXT book. The one that's sure to be a bestseller.

You'll give up.

Smack yourself and start again.

BECAUSE YOU ARE A WRITER. A storyteller extraordinaire. Your task is a noble one. An enviable one. So, let the dragons circle, let the castle burn, let the earth shake and the zombies rise, but WRITE ON, my friend!

Because you are a writer.

Oh wait. I said that.

See. Told you. I'm running out of words.

Annnnd now I'm . . . yup.

I'm out entirely.