Deadline Writing - The Thrill of the Clock

Tick-tock. Tick-tock. There's something to be said for the soothing and simultaneously disturbing sounds of a clock as it counts down the minutes of each hour, each day. As a journalist, you learn to live by the clock, and you find some comfort in knowing that this digital or analog device is always going to be at your side. At the same time, a clock is a devilish reminder that you need to have some semblance of an article completed by a certain hour or face an untimely "death" of sorts. 

If today was your first experience with journalistic deadlines, I humbly welcome you to the club of exasperated nerves and trembling fingers, jumbled notes and erratic article-composing. Today wasn't my first rodeo with such a time limit for my writing, as I've been addicted to print media since I was in third grade. Even then, we had soft deadlines for when we needed to have our stories about the second-graders' hatched chicks. But I didn't learn about the thrill of the last-minute finish until high school.

In those days (which feel like forever ago but were as "recent" as 2002), I thrived on waiting until a few minutes before my adviser's deadlines to complete my articles. It irritated Mrs. K and made my section editors hate me a little, but there was an adrenaline rush - a high - and it hasn't ceased. To this day, I remain hooked on the final "tick-tock" of my cell phone's timer to remind me that my editor needs my game recap sooner rather than later.

I wish I could say I want to recover from this affliction, but I'm not sure I do. I mean, take today's assignment for our first draft of a story on Chris Callahan's conversation. Sure, I had plenty of notes and already had an idea of what I wanted to write, but I didn't really start putting anything together until the last 60 minutes. Then, about 20 minutes ago, I submitted my game recap to my boss in Oswego (it's 1 a.m., so I'm "early" by seven hours). Now, I'm about cutting it entirely too close for tonight's post time, and yet, I'm loving every second of it.

It's odd that the "fun" of deadlines and internal pressure continues to invade my most favorite activity. But it makes me think - will I pass this down to my kids, my burgeoning student journalists? Will they ever find out about the rush of deadline writing? Will I reveal my dirty, little secret? Or will I quietly regress to my quiet corner, silently enjoying the passing minutes until I can finally hit "send" on my next article? 

Journalism can never do away with deadlines, but with the evolution of the field, will the same thrill of the ticking clock be something that gives prospective writers the guidance they need to complete their work? Will they instead be fueled by something else? I'm curious to watch the next batch get their fix.

I know I am. 

Laura M. Medina

Montini Catholic High School

Lombard, Illinois