Deadlines

Do you need a deadline? Is creating an artificial one helpful in any way? I'm intrigued. Personally, I work best under pressure. When I have no time to do something, that's usually when it's going to get done. Unfortunately, creating a deadline for myself never really works, because I know it's only me that's going to be disappointed if I don't meet it.

So, in order to kick my butt into gear with this round of revisions, I've found myself a deadline. An Australian publishing company is holding a contest for YA novels. The entries have to be in by June 3rd, which means I'll have to get my MS into the mail no later than May 30th or so. Yes, May 30th. That's really soon! And at this point, my MS is kind of in shreds. I have to finish completely re-writing chapter 30, tweak the ones after that to reflect the new information and then go back to the beginning and see where I can't hint at this earlier. And that's all in one character's arc. I haven't even started revising the other one.

Will I get it done? I'm not sure. But having a goal in mind, a deadline to work to, is helpful. If I feel like taking a night off to watch crap on television, or to go out drinking with friends, I'll just remind myself it's only a few days until May 30th, and that will remind me what's important, and what I need to do.

Do deadlines help you? Can you create them for yourself and stick to them? What motivates you to finish something?