Having to write at Warp 9 speed for a tight deadline right after an event’s end is something any writer who covers sports, politics, breaking news and entertainment events (for reviews) will eventually face.
Creating content and typing at a breakneck pace is not advised for everyday work, but it is possible to deal with the deadline dash with enough advance planning and judicious use of material to ease the pressure to produce hundreds of words in just a few minutes.
Throw in the unexpected twists and turns of a come-from-behind rally in a game, an upset on Election Night or an on-stage meltdown, and you have a deadline within a deadline. You’ll still have to handle it.
I had to junk an originally-scheduled column to write about Minnesota Twins pitcher Nelson Liriano’s no-hitter recently. But I couldn’t start the column too early; otherwise the no-hitter might have been broken up. I began writing in the top of the eighth, one eye on the game, the other on the laptop screen. I managed to write 700 words in two innings’ time, finishing by game’s end, which also coincided with the first deadline of the night. I had enough time to go downstairs to get locker-room quotes for an updated version. I felt I had never written any faster. It’s just something you force yourself to do and don’t second-guess yourself as you crank it out.
Experience as an article writer teaches you ways of handling tight deadlines and expecting the unexpected:
Stock up on advance quotes and information
There are earlier interviews and background information germane even to a late story. Include them in the draft and as you begin writing, you can cut out the less important material as you go along. But this is the ultimate insurance policy — you’ll have more than enough material to stock the story. Better too much than too little, and sometimes elements of the story fall through.
Transcribe quotes before the event
Transcription is the grunt work, the scut work, of journalism. Everyone hates it. That’s why you force yourself to finish transcription before the event begins. The starts-and-stops of transcription don’t jive with paying close attention to the event itself. You can’t do justice to both. Get that out of the way as fast as possible, You have one less aggravating factor on your hands.
Write a “running” account in your story
Just as including early material eases your burden, so is writing a play-by-play account of the event as you go along. That means you have less to write at the end, when it can get hairy. Having the play-by-play in hand enables you to polish it to make the copy better while also cutting out less-important facts as you fill the desired word count.
Leave “holes” for late quotes
If you have the time to include post-event quotes before you must file, simply leave room in your copy for the quotes and write around them. You have the option of using the earlier quotes, mentioned above, if the deadline quotes fall through. When time is your enemy, you find ways to beat time.
Don’t panic if the unexpected happens
If the twists and turns provide the unexpected finish of the sports rally or political upset, don’t get flustered. Call your editor to ask for a few minutes’ additional time. The editor has likely been through such breaking events before. Plus, deadlines often are constructed for the editor’s convenience so he/she doesn’t have to push himself to Warp 9. Given any extra time to file, take a minute or two to think of how you’d re-do your lead and follow-up paragraphs. You don’t want your copy to come off as hurried or rushed.
Get post-event quotes for a “follow-up” story
Sometimes the best post-event quotes won’t make the deadline story. Ask your editor if he/she can use a follow-up story that will include material that didn’t make it.
