A disagreement on foreseeable deadlines
Filed under Soapbox on May 4, 2004
Tagged: deadlines, Wizards of the Coast
The most recent Write Now article discusses what to do if you blow a deadline. Of course, the most important thing to remember is DON”T BLOW A DEADLINE. The author, Jess Lebow, does a good job of covering this point. He then breaks blown deadlines into two categories: foreseeable and unforeseeable.
Unforeseeable is fairly self-explanatory. These occur when some unexpected event, like a personal tragedy, throws your timetable into disarray. Foreseeable is where you realize you just won’t finish by the deadline, due to pace or time management.
The point I disagree with is when you, the writer, become aware of the foreseeable blown deadline and have to talk with the editor. Jess puts it at “a week or two before your deadline.”
I’m afraid that’s a gross error.
My contract with Wizards clearly states that I have to inform my editor 45 days prior to the deadline if I’m going to need an extension. And as a writer, you should be able to project even sooner, based upon your past performance, whether or not you’re going to make it. I’m surprised that Jess, as both a staff writer and contracted author with WotC, gave the advice that he did.
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