I have found that one of the most difficult things for me to come to terms with since becoming a published author has been the addition of deadlines to my life. As much as I enjoyed writing, I was always one of those people who only wrote when the mood struck, and it wasn’t unusual for me to go days or even weeks without sitting down in front of the keyboard. My very first historical romance manuscript took me four years to write. A Kiss in the Dark, which I started the year I joined RWA, took me almost two.

Now there are deadlines for everything. Not just for completing the contracted book, but for revisions, for proofreading the copyedited manuscript and answering copyeditor questions, for correcting the printed galleys. And usually these things must be done in a matter of a few weeks and sometimes even days. It has definitely been hard for me to adjust to this, but I have managed to do so. Though not without a great deal of kicking and screaming. I was pleasantly surprised when I was able to finish A Kiss Before Dawn within a 4 1/2 month time frame.

I have recently received my deadline date for the second book in the Daventry Sisters series. It is due at the end of August, and though I have already proven to myself that I am capable of meeting a tight deadline, I have to admit to a certain amount of panic. In many cases, that panic can work for you. It gets the adrenaline going and forces you to put your butt in the chair and write, even when you feel like every word you type is absolute dreck. In other instances, however, it can freeze you up and cause a killer case of writer’s block.

So, for those of you who tend to be a bit of a procrastinator–Like yours truly!–here are some of the things that have helped me when it comes to getting the writing done and meeting those deadlines.

1. Eliminate all distractions in the room where you work. And I do mean ALL. Sometimes even the most innocuous thing can cause problems when you have no will power. I used to have a television in my office, and it was all to easy to turn it on when things were going slowly and tell myself I was taking a short break. “Short breaks” usually turned into 2 or 3 hours. Eventually I had to move the T.V. to another room. As well as my bookshelf, my computer games, my…

2. Set up a writing schedule and stick to it. Or at least as closely as you can. Do take short breaks, but set a timer if you have to so you don’t take more time than you should. Once you establish a routine, it gets much easier to settle into the groove of writing when you sit down in front of the computer. Of course, there are always those little unexpected surprises that life throws at you, like the the old friend who decides to stop by for a visit and stays for hours! Always allow for those little surprises and try not to get too bent out of shape when they occur. Being able to adapt to interruptions is the name of the game.

3. Turn off the phone during your writing time or let the answering machine pick up. I have always been very good at tuning out ringing phones, so this is no biggie for me. I have my answering machine turned up just enough that I can hear key words such as “Emergency” and “Armageddon.” Barring that, I wait and listen to my messages at break time and return all calls then.

4. Set a page goal for each day. And be realistic about it. Don’t tell yourself you are going to do 10 pages a day if you know you’ve never been able to crank out that many before. That will only result in frustration. On the other hand, don’t set a goal of 3 pages a day if you know you are capable of doing more than that. That’s the easy out. I know that when things are going well I can do as many as 8 pages. On a bad day, I’m lucky if I churn out 4 pages. So I’ve set a goal of 5-6 pages a day. If I can do more, great. If not, then I don’t beat myself up. Well…unless I’m down to the last week before deadline and I still have 100 pages to go. Then I have some serious marathon writing sessions!

5. Don’t forget to reward yourself! If you meet your page goal every single day for a week or finish a project early or in time to meet a deadline, do something special for yourself. It doesn’t have to be anything big. When I finally completed Sins of Midnight, I rewarded myself with a hot fudge sundae. (Something I hadn’t allowed myself for several months because I was on a diet at the time, so it was a real treat!) Each achievement is important, even the little things, so celebrate! It will make you that much more productive when it’s time to write again.

6. Limit internet time. This has been a killer for me. I never realized just how much time I spent online until I tried to stay away from it for awhile. And there’s a lesson in that. Don’t cut yourself off completely. The internet is a very useful tool for writers, but try not to let it eat up too much of your writing time. Use an hour or two on the internet as a reward for meeting your daily goal. You’ll find you are much more productive if you get your work out of the way first before you play…er, spend time online.

So, now it’s sharing time. What about you? As an author or aspiring author, what are some things that have helped you when it comes to getting your butt in the chair and writing? Some things that didn’t help? And what about those of you who aren’t writers? Most of us have some sort of deadlines to meet at some point in our lives, whether it is at work or a self-imposed one. How do you deal with it?