If you write for a living, you deal with deadlines. Sometimes you will have several jobs on your plate at
same time. On top of that, your clients or editors don't coordinate their demands, so you might even have two or three deadlines all falling within
same day or two.
It happens.
And being
professional you are, if you think you can do
work well in
time provided, you'll tell each of them there's no problem meeting
deadline. After all, you don't want to let them down by declining
job. Nor do you wan to lose
income.
And when all goes well, you manage to organize your time to get each of
jobs written and delivered on time.
>> But what happens when things go badly?
What happens when one of your clients is three days late in delivering some of
necessary briefing information? What happens when one of them rings up and needs
work a day sooner, throwing all of your careful scheduling out of
window?
If you have a good relationship with your clients, you can usually work something out.
But still, there are times when everything conspires against you and it begins to feel like
task ahead is impossible.
And it may not be a client's fault at all. Maybe you have a burst water pipe to deal with at home. Maybe
kids are all off school for a day or two. Maybe you have a day or two or three when you feel sick.
>> Then
panic sets in.
Have you experienced this? The writer's panic attack? The sense that
task ahead is impossible and you'll never get everything done?
You feel it creeping up on you slowly. And then
real sense of panic sets in, and it makes everything a whole lot worse...because you freeze.
The sense of panic starts to take up all
space in your head. You can feel your back tightening. You're staring at
screen and you just can't write any more...because you are consumed by
knowledge that everything is coming unstuck...you won't meet
deadlines...you'll let down your clients...you won't get your pay check.
>> How to get rid of
panic attack.
Step one is
hardest. You have to get up and walk away.