by Janis
Patterson
Did you ever wonder about the
etymology of the word ‘deadline’? It sounds so vaguely threatening. “You reach
this line (time?) or you’re dead.” Did the kings of old give their serfs a
deadline for bringing in their tributes and lop off their heads if they missed
it? Come to think of it, I have known a couple of old-time editors who would
have just loved the power to do that – in fact, getting one’s head (or job)
lopped off on occasion would have been considered preferable to their
reactions.
I wonder that those of us in the
wordsmith world have not been able to find a more pleasant, less belligerent
term for the time a manuscript/whatever should be turned in. Final day? Term
line? End time?
Not that it makes much difference
these days anyway. I grew up in advertising, back when deadline really meant
deadline. Even being a few hours over the limit was enough to get you raked
over the coals. When I moved over into journalism, missing a deadline could get
you fired. Now it seems that a deadline is more of a suggestion than a distinct
cut-off date, which is something I don’t understand. If you’re given a contract
and a date your project is due, hadn’t you better uphold it?
Now there are a few reasons for
missing a real deadline without notification to your publisher – death, ending
up in a full body cast at your local hospital, things of that order – not that you
feel you need a small vacay and will need an additional two months, or that you
had another contract come up that offered more money, or any other reason,
legitimate or not. If someone realizes they can’t make a deadline, they should
notify their publisher immediately. I don’t see why people don’t get that.
On the other hand, there’s a lot
about the other side of publishing I don’t get. Why have advances fallen, the
quality of editing and proofing gone into freefall and all the responsibility
for publicity fallen on the shoulders of the writers? (Unless you’re in the
Roberts-King-Koontz stratosphere and, of course, generally excepting a listing
in the catalogues.) Why are advances to celebrities and politicians
astronomical (in the millions) when it’s pretty much accepted that their books
not only won’t earn out, but will be seen on remainder tables and cut-rate
bookstores for the next decade or two? This, when working mid-list writers, the
ones who write the books people actually like to read and who are the mainstay
of the publishing industry, find it hard if not impossible to support
themselves on their writing.
I don’t understand. Too much focus
on money, not enough on books, or the quality of books. Seems
contra-indicative.
Like I said, I don’t understand,
but I’ve got a deadline blowing dragon breath on the back of my neck and I’ve
got to go work. If anybody figures it out, let me know.
10 comments:
Wish I had the answers too, Janis!
I'd love to hear those who might :-)
Good luck and God's blessings with your deadline.
PamT
Tweeted it and on FB. I haven't had to deal with deadlines yet as I'm only on my first book (Not Too Old for Love). But, the first editing suggestions on it are due back anytime soon, and I'll have a four-week deadline to deal with those. Hoping to be published later this year.
I'm used to deadlines, probably why I try to do most things ahead of time. Am having difficult finishing my next Deputy Tempe crabtree mystery though.
Yup, a journalist looks at deadlines in a different way--miss your slot, and you ARE pretty much "dead." And that's served me well---hasn't it you?--in book world. Without a deadline, I'd just be la-dee-dahing around.
Maybe we could call it--due date? (Although look how well that works for libraries..)
And now, yeah. Back to work.
A lot of good questions. Too bad we don't have better answers! As to deadlines, I have a strong work ethic which started as a student. So I'm never late with my writing. What bothers me is that publishers expect writers to do the publicity and promotion and push writers in that regard.
Respect for editors and deadlines is a basic for writers. When I was seven, my dad gave me a wristwatch. After school, I went to a friend's to play. I was to be home at 5:30. I started for home at 5:30, got there ten minutes later. Daddy asked what time it was and I told him. "You are ten minutes late," he said. "When you get your leggings off, I'm going to spank you." And he did. Daddy was a newsman and he was a stickler for punctuality. Being on time for an interview, he said, gives the interviewee a sense of obligation, more so if that person is late. Being tardy shows a lack of respect. From then on, I was rarely late to anything...until I met Bill. My husband is dependably 20 minutes late. I find that insulting. Ten minutes one time and two or three minutes the next might be forgivable, but precisely 20 minutes late every time says something. It is his worst flaw. We've been married 53 years. His tardiness still annoys me, but I adjust. Mostly we get places early, albeit 20 minutes after he believes an event is to begin. It's a matter of knowing "your foe." I'd love for you to read MEMORY, my latest romantic suspense.
I used to like deadlines. It gave me an incentive and made me work harder, and I rarely missed a deadline. Now my publisher is a small press with 200 hundred authors and they have fallen behind on deadlines themselves due to illness and other catastrophes, but they always come through at the end. They don't give deadlines to their authors except for getting back edits, and even then they are flexible. I give myself deadlines and try to stick with them. Sometimes that works.
The term 'deadline' came from the prison camp at Andersonville during the Civil War. The guards set up 'deadline' at the only possible escape route, and if you were over it, you were shot.
This fact brought to you by endless reading...
Deadlines motive may, but except when I was working on the final edits with my editor of my first book, I have not had them (except for self-made or contest entries). If I had deadlines like Hank Phillippe Ryan, I'd really be stressed as journalist deadlines are, like she said, miss them and you're "dead."
Deadlines are a good form of discipline. I make my own and also break my own. lol
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