Monday, April 4, 2011

C is for Crunch Time

Here we are at day C for the A-Z Challenge, and the first c-word that comes to my mind is crap because I had a cool post all written for Crunch Time and then I pushed the wrong button and *poof* it went bye bye. Maybe that'll teach me to be prepared and write ahead of time. Naw. I doubt it.

Which brings me back to Crunch Time. As in, I'm currently in the midst of crunch time for my MFA thesis. It wouldn't be so bad, but I just realized yesterday that my thesis needs to be in the hands of the thesis committee 2 weeks before the end of the semester.  That leaves me, like 2 weeks to finish the revision so that I have at least a week to polish it, make copies, put it in thesis binders, take it to the post office and mail it priority mail.

Crunch Time.

Thankfully I have the first draft and a scene list to work from. A screenplay needs to be approximately 90 pages finished, and I'm at page 60 of the revision, so I think I'm in pretty good shape. But I can't dilly-dally anymore. Time to step up, get butt in chair, and git-er-done (a phrase I sincerely loathe).

I'm sure all you writer people are familiar with the idea of crunch time. Deadlines are common in writing, and I look forward to the day when I have an agent and must face all kinds of deadlines. Those crunch times will be good.

So are you a methodical and organized writer, or a crunch time writer?

12 comments:

Spanj said...

I'm always right up to the deadline. In fact, I wrote a very similar post for today: C is for Cutting it Fine. Good luck with that deadline!

Jessica Bell said...

Definitely a procrastinator! :o)

jabblog said...

I leave everything to the last minute and kid myself I work better that way. I don't . . . and it gives me a headache. Is it too late in the year to have a New Year's resolution??

Elizabeth Twist said...

Ughhh....good luck with your crunch! Finishing my PhD. I had the most insane crunch ever. I won a fellowship, much to my surprise, but then had to complete the last half of my thesis in two months. I had notes and plans, yeah, but yikes! I have never worked so hard in my life.

Yes, I am a deadline-inspired procrastination machine. Now that I'm trying to break into the publishing biz, though, I'm finding that more and more of my motivation has to come from within. It's been a difficult and interesting transition.

Good luck to you. I'm sure it will be great.

Natalie Decker said...

Good luck with deadline. I know all about crunch time. I just did a 55 page rewrite of ending to story and had to send it out today. Worked practically all weekend on it. Oye.

Ellie Garratt said...

You can do it!

I'm a crunch time (aka panster) writer. Something about the pressure of time focuses me.

Ellie Garratt

Bish Denham said...

I think I tend to be a crunch time writer. If I have schedule I do well. If left to my own devises, I loiter on the porch.

Michael Di Gesu said...

Crunch time... why did I think exercise?

I'm like many of the others, I wait to the last minute and pump it out. Even my A-Z challenges. I admire writers who have them all finished. I write mine the day before and sometimes the night before it posts.

I work great under pressure....lol

Emily White said...

Good luck! And I am completely a crunch time writer. No doubt about it.

Denise Covey said...

Getting an education would be pointless without all the 'crunch time' 'deadline' stuff would it? All adds to the pizazz. Much like writing. You've always got a deadline, like what to do for D?

Thanks for visiting Columbia. D is for ...(not deadlines.)

Denise<3

L'Aussies Travel Blog A - Z Challenge Posts

Laura Eno said...

I loath that phrase too. :) I don't like to crunch so much, although I wouldn't call myself organized.

Sarah Mäkelä said...

That's a good question. It's kind of what I'd like to be versus what I am. I try to be organized and methodical, but I typically end up facing crunch time because during the middle I sometimes slack off if I get too ahead of schedule. lol