I've just submitted a feature article that I was working on, on and off, for the past couple of days. I was a couple of hours late, which made the writing process a tad hectic, and actually put my client under pressure. And the reason I ws late is because some of my sources were late...
This process reminded me that I need to be more proactive about pushing deadlines I give sources forward, so that when they are late, I still have room to manouvre. Because, when you're a writer or journo and you're late, no one really cares why you're late ( in the great scheme of media publishing). The only message that comes across is that you're not dead or bleeding to death, so why is your story late?
3 comments:
Late. Hugs. I can't stand being late. I have to really take a few deep breaths about it all given I live in SA :-)
Good luck finding a way to get others to meet your deadlines.
It is frustrating when you're late because of someone else's lateness. I suppose one has to chase one's sources, but it would be nice if you could just delegate and know that the work would come in on time, so you could concentrate on your side of the job. Oh well, I suppose everyone works in different ways and the buck has to stop somewhere. I'm sure that it's not as bad as you felt though! :)
Judy
I hear you! It's one of my biggest peeves about my job - how interviewees totally ignore deadlines. I chase and I chase and I chase and they just don't care. I even give mock deadlines to give myself a bit of a safety net and sometimes not even that works. I guess it's just one of those things about journalism that will always be an issue.
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