Procrastination. It's everywhere--on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram--just waiting there, tempting you to neglect your current writing assignment. When coupled with that pesky foe writer's block, getting the pen to paper and the words to flow becomes so increasingly difficult that you may ignore the task altogether. "Oh, it's not due for a couple of weeks," you tell yourself. "I have plenty of time to get it done." But suddenly, the deadline for the assignment is hovering dangerously close, and sure enough, you find yourself scrambling to write something-anything- the night before, yet all you can do is sit at your desk and stare at the blank page as that deadline of doom looms nearer.
Eventually it pays off, and you manage to force something onto the page and finish the project. And for some, myself included, this has been a tried and true method to motivate yourself and finish that assignment you've been putting off all semester. For others, the stress and frustration experienced in those final hours of panic before handing in the work can be counter-productive to putting out quality writing, and in the end, your once favorite passion (or your biggest pain) becomes that much more of a chore. You find yourself doing anything you can to avoid writing, or simply just lack the motivation to even get started, thus continuing the cycle of procrastination and adding to the weight of writer's block.
So, how do you cure it?
Well, if you’re like me, and flirting with procrastination and being beaten down by writer's block is all too familiar to you, then perhaps Final Deadline is your answer.
A relatively new site serving as the "ultimate resource for writers--any writers, from professionals to hobbyists to wannabes"--Final Deadline provides a variety of fun tools, apps, exercises and services to help tackle procrastination and overcome writer's block in an imaginative way, and eventually gets the words out of your head and onto the page.
Features:
The site provides many features to help get your mojo flowing:
-Scrawl: An open word processor where you can simply sit and start writing. Save and edit your work while Scrawl keeps track of your word count and stats, and provides encouraging cheers as you trod along. If the positive reinforcement isn't enough, or (like me) you still find the blank page to be a daunting task, don't worry; there's also an option to assign a consequence for procrastination. The Task Manager option really helps you stay focused and on task by allowing you to chose a time limit of uninterrupted writing, as well as when the consequence should occur (say, if you stopped typing for longer than three seconds). In this mode, the session cannot be stopped until you reach the limit, and if you still find your attention waning, just wait until the Task Manager screams at you--seriously, it won't stop until you start typing again! Scrawl also has functions to disable backspace/delete (for those seeking to suppress their inner editor) as well as the option to add the soothing hum of coffee shop chatter to help keep you focused, if writing in a public place is where you feel most comfortable.
-Pace/Stay Organized: Save yourself the stress of an all-nighter by simply setting a deadline on your project. Track your progress and word count by the day and challenge yourself to reach new milestones.
-Know Thyself: A game like tool that helps you develop characters for your novel by answering a rapid succession of questions about your character. You have to keep typing to keep up, and it leaves little room for thinking, providing quite the challenge to dive deep into the minds of your characters. The results are saved and generated in a questionnaire for easy reference.
-Every Single Worm Has A Story to Tell: A random plot generator that challenges writers to flesh out bits of a plot into a full fledged story. Useful if you're stumped on ideas for a new project.
-In the Company of Friends: Some people just need a support system to stay motivated. This tool allows you to log in with Facebook and connect with friends who share a similar passion of writing and allows everyone in the community to share work, provide support, and track the progress of one another.
-Keep Your Chin Up: Got a great idea that you're not quite sure how to use yet, but afraid you'll forget if you don't write it down? Try this message in a bottle like app and cast that precious gem off to sea for later reference, or as a source of inspiration when you're in a rut.
-The Steel Taste of Fear: If a deadline serves as a good motivator for a writer, then fear is an even greater motivator for a writer. This app is considered the ultimate tool to beat procrastination, if you're bold enough to give it a try. It's designed for those in need of a harsh shove rather than a gentle nudge to put the pen to paper. The idea is to let you put up some of your own cash to finish your project by a deadline of your choosing--the site actually holds your funds hostage until you get it done, and keeps the funds when you don't--and the more words you type per day as the deadline approaches, the more of your own cash you rescue! Not only does the "threat of knife point" help you get your money back, but you also manage to complete that project you haven't been able to finish. Check out the details here.
-Hone and Polish Your Work: Have your project critiqued line by line by a circle of your close friends or make it public and let anyone join in on the fun. Simply upload a finished project or start a new one.
The Good:
One of the big advantages of this site is that all of its services are free--all you are required to do is create an account (and you are kindly asked to donate whatever you can, however small, in order to maintain the free site). A few of the other sites that I happened to check out with the same goal in mind to help keep writers focused only offer limited services for free and the full package for a price, and those sites don’t have half of the interactive tools that Final Deadline has.
The Bad:
But like all tools, Final Deadline is not without flaws. Because it is still in the beginning stages, there are some kinks that still need to be worked out. One thing I found to be a little irritating was that the Know Thyself tool fires off questions so fast that it’s almost impossible to keep up with them and it is easy to lose your place (although you can pause and resume if needed). Another little annoyance is that when you put your “message in a bottle” there is no indication as to where that message was placed or when you’ll have access to it again. I haven't been able to locate my gem of inspiration just yet. Those were the only two small issues that I had with the site. These tools will probably change and adjust over time, as the creators are constantly coming up with new apps and services.
The Bottom Line:
All in all,I would recommend Final Deadline as a good resource to help get the ball rolling with your writing, whether you’re trying to write a novel or need to knock out an essay or finish a blog post. After playing around with it, I was really excited with some of the features regarding larger projects such as the critiquing tool, and being able to connect with writers through Facebook. With a variety of ever changing tools, Final Deadline gives writers a space to explore their craft by taking you out of your comfort zone to approach a writer’s biggest issues from a different angle. It might not be perfection, but its something to get you started. And once those words start flowing, you’ll soon have a well of material to inspire you to keep going and finish that project. Sometimes, all it takes is a deadline to get it done.
Recommendations:
If you like the idea of punishment for procrastination, check out these apps:
Write or Die, Aherk!
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