How To Remain Sane While Meeting Deadlines | guest post by Emily Chapman

#Emily Chapman

I have the pleasure of having the lovely Emily Chapman (co-author with Emily Ann for "Ain't We Got Fun".) in a guest-post today! I hope you all enjoy :).

Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

- Albert Einstein -

I'm going to go out on a limb here and state that I'm probably a pretty insane person. I can't think exactly of a specific situation where the above quote applies. However, it sorta sounds like me. (And my blog is titled "Entirely Bonkers" if that's any clue for you.)

All that to say, I tend to be a fireball of stress at times. Especially when there's a time restraint for me. "Get this done by this time," you say. "Don't do this when you should be doing this." A minor flaw of mine, I suppose, but how on earth am I supposed to do that when I am a creative bug who succumbs to spurts of creativity when the creativity spurts?

Unfortunately, this becomes an issue when you have a deadline to write a piece of your novel. I know we've mentioned it many times, but in case you haven't heard, Emily Ann and I wrote Ain't We Got Fun back in January. We posted a letter per day on our blogs all throughout the month of January, and it worked very well because we had written far ahead during the first half of the month. However, when we both got busy in the middle of January, deadlines slowly crept up to us until eventually it got to the point where we had only one day to write the letter for the next day. And for a girl juggling a job, schoolwork and dance classes ... that was rather difficult.

I'm going to go out on a limb again and guess that I'm not the only one who struggles with deadlines -- whether it be for writing, homework, blogging, et cetera. Therefore, I thought I would compile an Emily Approved list of Ways to Stay Sane While Meeting Deadlines.

1. Eat chocolate. And coffee.

Funny story, but ever since I met Emily Ann three years ago, her biggest piece of advice to me when I would have troubles with lack of inspiration was this: eat chocolate and drink coffee. There are countless times I've received this well-worn advice from her, and it's a good piece of advice. Whether it helps with inspiration or not, it does revive you a bit. Coffee = caffeine. Caffeine = a more awake author. Chocolate = happiness. Happiness = a more cheerful author. Both are rather necessary things for meeting deadlines.

2. Solitude.

During the time Em and I were writing the Ain't We Got Fun letters, I was living in a cramped little apartment with my large family. Needless to say, we were pretty sick of each other. Too many people and not enough space makes for a very hard place to focus. Solitude was a huge help in writing the letters. I distinctly remember sitting out in the tiny living space on the couch in the darkness while the rest of my family slept peacefully in the tiny bedrooms ... and that's where I got my best work done. In the quiet, or perhaps with soft music playing. And quite, quite alone.

3. Breathe.

It's okay to take a break for a minute to breathe, especially when you find yourself beginning to stress. Go take a brisk walk to clear your lungs! Grab a snack. Stretch. Do anything but surf the Internet or check Facebook. There is no return from places such as that. You have been warned.

4. Pray.

This helps too, and it's probably the only fool-proof option on this list. Pray! Ask God to take the stress from your back and help you get your job done well. He will do it. And whether the result is what you wished for or not, the result was already in His plan and in His plan, everything turns out alright in the end. Just remember that.

5. Comfy clothes, comfy environment.

I'm not sure if this will help you or not. Some people get their best work done in stiff environments with full attire of makeup, professional clothes, and heels. However, I don't work that way. I'm not a formal person. My family is very informal. And I feel better when I'm freshened up, for sure, and maybe with a touch of makeup ... but give me fuzzy socks and fuzzy pajama pants in the winter or a lightweight tank and workout shorts in the summer, and I guarantee you that I will feel much more relaxed and ready to work on whatever writing project is in store for me.

EMILY CHAPMAN, also known as Bess Rowland, is a young hobbit living in the dear old South, and she is entirely bonkers. She's a dreamer, an optimistic pessimist, and an introverted people person. Blue skies, dancing, Disney, and whipped cream make her happy, and she swears she's once been to Narnia. She's been a reader all her life, became a writer because of that, and published her first novel, Cry of Hope, in March of 2014. But without her Savior, all of this would mean nothing. It is in Him that she puts her hope.You can learn more about Emily Chapman and her books at www.emilychapmanauthor.com and www.facebook.com/emilychapmanauthor.

EMILY ANN PUTZKE and Gi Rowland have two big things in common: their love for God and coffee. Besides writing historical fiction, Emily enjoys being an aunty, photography, Irish dancing, spending time with family, attempting to play the guitar, reenacting, and reading. She loves polka dots, war movies, and all things vintage. Her first novella, It Took a War, was published in December of 2014. You can learn more about Emily Ann Putzke and her books at www.authoremilyannputzke.com and www.facebook.com/authoremilyannputzke.

You can purchase Ain't We Got Fun through:

Amazon (Paperback) 

Amazon (Kindle) 

Createspace (Paperback)

Smashwords (ebook)

About The Book:

It was never much of an issue for Bess: living contentedly on her family's farm, despite the Depression which loomed around them. But when her older sister Georgiana takes off to New York City to make a fortune and help Papa out, feelings of adventure and wanderlust strike Bess at home. Through their lively letter correspondence, the sisters recount to one another their adventures, surprises, and heartaches, leaving little room for depression. For in a world of such wonder, ain't we got fun?