Writing Tips: Writing to a Deadline

For freelance writers, learning how to write to a deadline will help to guarantee success, as many articles have a distinct date and time that must be met.   

What is a deadline?

Audioenglish.net suggests that a deadline is “the point in time at which something must be completed.”

Completion in this context, means having written an article for an assignment, edited it, as well as having submitted it to an appropriate publisher. Helium.com suggests deadlines for articles, as do many other Internet publishers. 

For example, with respect to this article, “Article must be submitted before 23:59 GMT the day before the 'Submission Deadline' date which is August 10, 2012, allowing 7days for completion. 

Consider the following guidelines with respect to how to write to a deadline.

Accept a timely assignment:

Accepting a realistic time frame in which to complete an article is important. Never accept assignments that do not allow sufficient time for completion. Unless, you know that you can write an article within the time frame allowed, it is advisable not to accept it as you do not want to gain a reputation of being unable to meet deadlines. Allowing sufficient time is particularly important in terms of writing knowledgeable articles where research is required..   

Research your topic thoroughly:

Research on any article takes additional time and energy as to properly research an article, you may require multiple sources of online information. Documenting the sources accurately is important. One source may be sufficient, but adding additional URLs as sources can help to re-enforce the knowledge in your article. Be careful which URLs you use as they may be only temporary. Use reputable websites only.       

Outline your proposed article:

Creating an outline for a proposed article entails the proper use of search engine optimization (SEO) techniques. Once an outline of key words and phrases has been set up, it becomes easier to write an article and is more likely to remain on topic. It also helps in terms of being on time, instead of surpassing a designated deadline.  

Write the content of your article:

Keep the content in the body of your article readable, as most of your readership will tend to read quickly and seek to understand what you have written, without having to do further online research. Extra URLs may be included in order to reinforce the knowledge contained in your content.   

Edit and revise:

Editing and revising your article is an important step in meeting deadlines. Articles with typos and errors in grammar are subject to rejection by potential publishers. Does the article appear to be well organized? Is the content accurate? Have you documented your sources and quotations? Is the word count correct? Helium.com may request a leapfrog to allow you to make corrections which will take extra time, but meeting the initial publication deadline is important.  

Submission:

When writing to a deadline, there is a structured method of submission. Attempting to submit your article in any other manner is not likely to be possible; nor is it likely to be accepted.

Following the above guidelines will prove beneficial in terms of writing to a deadline.