Fear, panic and deadlines. The creative life.

Ah, the creative life! What would it be without deadlines, a little fear and some panic? Here are some quotes:

My normal routine is pretty much putting out fires all day.

–Vera Wang

Really, most of us just focus on what’s in front of us. We’re too busy putting out the fires of everyday life.

–Aidan Quinn

Thinking will not overcome fear but action will.

–W. Clement Stone

Fear is stupid. So are regrets.

–Marilyn Monroe

I work best after the deadline has passed, when I’m in a panic.

–Tony Kushner

I don’t like to get too complacent. I like to give myself five panic attacks per project.

–Jessie Buckley

I almost always meet project deadlines. Sometimes the client throws in last minute changes, but that isn’t my fault. I usually ask for more time when that happens so I can do it right and not get sloppy just to meet a deadline. (Where did the term deadline originate? According to Wikipedia: “There is only indirect evidence that the term deadline in the sense of “due date” may be connected with the use of the term in prison camps during the American Civil War, when it referred to a physical line or boundary beyond which prisoners were shot. In fact, the term is no longer found in print by the end of the 19th century, but it soon resurfaces in writing in 1917 as a printing term for “a guideline on the bed of a printing press beyond which text will not print”.  Three years later, the term is found in print in the sense of “time limit” in the closely connected publishing industry, indicating the time after which material would not make it into a newspaper or periodical.”)

I have panicked on a few jobs through the years but I lived to tell about it. Now I have Mister Fire Mouse to do it for me.

And finally:

There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.

–Henry Kissinger

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P.S. I’m calling on all Grammar Police and Spelling Wizards to comment on any errors or omissions you may find in any of my posts. It will help make me a better writer, give me a thicker skin and bring a bright smile to your face knowing you have once again rescued the english language from certain annihilation.