Pressure to perform

I need it. Not the kind you’re thinking of either.

Deadlines make me productive. If left to my own devices, I fritter away my prime writing hours with answering emails, printing out catalogs, organizing spreadsheets, rearranging my writing schedule, anything that is writing related without actually being writing. That way I can justify it as not being busy-work, but needed to be done work. But then I still don’t have much of a word count to show for the day. But hit me with an impossible deadline and, man, can I churn out the pages. I may still miss my deadline, but I pack about a month’s worth of normal writing into a one week period. I have performance anxiety! I need crisis to make it worth my effort. Must be why I’m a trauma nurse, but I really didn’t need the attitude slipping over into my writing!