Setting Your Own Deadlines
Of course, all those “special feelings” won't get you very far if you don't get your work done, too. Juggling editors and assignments also includes juggling deadlines — and since none of your editors will know what the other ones are doing, it will be up to you to ensure that you don't get overloaded with too much or too little work at once.
Many new magazine writers understand how to juggle assignments when too many come in simultaneously, but you also must remember to spread deadlines out so that there will always be work on your desk. Making sure that your deadlines are properly spaced will also ensure that your paychecks arrive with some degree of regularity.
Sometimes, you won't have a choice about your deadlines. There are drop-dead dates in every publishing schedule, and if an editor wants your story to run in a particular issue of a magazine, then your deadline will have to conform to the pre-existing publishing schedule. You will be in a take-it-or-leave-it situation when it comes to accepting the assignment, no matter what other work you may already have agreed to complete.
In a lot of cases, though, you will find that editors have some leeway in the deadlines they can give you — which, in turn, can allow you to in effect set your own deadline schedule. This is key to being a successful magazine writer because you can space out your deadlines for various assignments and allow yourself enough time to give each story your very best effort.
How much time do editors usually have between your deadline to them and their deadline to the printing press?
It depends on the magazine. Sometimes magazines work months in advance of on-sale dates, while in other cases the editors will be getting your stories at the actual last minute.
You just have to be savvy enough to know which editors you can ask for more leeway, as opposed to the editors who always work up to the last minute and don't have deadline flexibility built into their schedules.
When You Have a Choice
It should be pretty easy for you to figure out which editors have flexible deadlines after your first or second assignments for various magazines. You never want to miss a deadline, of course, but your first conversation with an editor about deadlines will likely be a good indication of whether there is any room for due-date negotiations.
Some editors actually appreciate your honesty when negotiating deadlines. If you tell them up front that you have a busy week ahead and will need a few extra days to complete your assignment, they will be spared any surprises when your story comes in those extra few days later than originally planned. That gives them the ability to adjust their own schedules accordingly.
If you realize that you are going to miss a deadline, contact your editor immediately — hopefully, at least a few days before the due date. You should never, ever wait until the day a story is due to tell your editor that it will be late. It's unprofessional and shows that you can't balance your own workload.
When you have a choice of deadlines, space your work out and always give yourself a few extra days to allow completed stories to “sit” before you turn them in. If you finish a story, put it away, and then go back and look at it a day or two later, you will almost always find mistakes you can correct or improvements you can make. Having the extra time to “self-edit” while still meeting your deadline will save your editor work and make him more likely to hire you again in the future.
If You're Overloaded
All of those beautifully crafted query letters may just land you more work than you can handle at once. This embarrassment of riches may sound like a good thing, but in reality it can be incredibly stressful.
Three editors each waiting on the same afternoon for three different full-length features is an awful lot of pressure for any writer of any experience level. It's called overload, and you have to know how to handle it.
The easiest way for you to avoid assignment overload is to begin working on stories well before they are due, at least a week in advance. That way, you will never face a blank computer screen on a deadline day when you have several editors expecting multiple articles about different topics.
If you find yourself in assignment overload, the first thing you should do is make an honest assessment of your situation. You may be the type of person who can pull an all-nighter and crank out every last word you need to before your deadlines hit. On the other hand, you may be the type of person who can handle only one story at a time, perhaps two stories a day, tops. Only you know which description suits you best, and thus how you are likely to fare at a crunch time.
All-night writers can get the job done, of course, but if you're one of those, you should remember to allow some time off the following day or two, if only to recharge the creative juices. If you're one of the slower writers who simply won't be able to finish on time, then you should immediately contact the editors whose deadlines you're going to miss. They may be upset — rightfully so — but better that they know as soon as you do, early in the day, instead of at 4:59 p.m. when they're getting ready to fire you altogether.
If you must call an editor to renegotiate a deadline on the day a story is due, offer to have the work done as soon as possible — ideally, the next day. Do not call your editor and say the work isn't done on time. Look to the future and set a new deadline that you will be certain to make.
Some writers avoid deadline overload by noting the due dates for their articles on a month-view calendar. This is a great visual aid because you can literally see the assignments “stacking up” as you list them on the same date. More than three magazine deadlines on one day is probably a sign that overload is in the offing. You'll be able to tell editors at the time the assignment comes in that you already have two other deadlines on the day they suggest, and then you can offer a new deadline that fits better into your schedule.
