Opinion: Constant deadlines keep writer's life in order

If there is one constant in the life of a columnist, it is the deadline. You might say my deadline is a matter of timing; it comes around at the same time every week. Awhile back, Clarence Page, the nationally syndicated writer, whose column appears regularly in the Springfield News-Leader, spoke at Drury University. Afterward, it was my happy duty to drive him to the Springfield airport.

Not surprisingly, writing was our topic of conversation. An observation he made struck me as astute. I will never forget what Clarence Page said: “Nothing improves writing like a regular deadline.”

The wisdom I took from Page’s advice is having a writing deadline means someone expects written material to be submitted.

That alone should inspire taking your best shot at writing coherently about something of interest. The one undeniable truth about deadlines: If you don’t have any, you aren’t writing anything. Articles may be good, bad or otherwise; the deadlines are constant.

When I was a college student, I had a friend who was an obsessive perfectionist (my term). The moment a professor made an assignment, he considered himself to be behind, and he began to fret about catching up. It follows that he was never satisfied with any schoolwork he did. Although I wasn’t quite as obsessive, I am enough of a perfectionist that I could relate with him then, and still do. I am never completely satisfied with a finished Rusty Saber. The final editing job on every column is done in my car by pencil in the parking lot adjacent to the Springfield Business Journal. I have been known to call the editor to ask for a late change in the manuscript.

Another trait I share with my perfectionist college friend is his anxiety. As soon as a column is finished, I consider myself behind if I don’t know the upcoming column topic.

When asked about where ideas for my columns come from, I like to pretend to rely on “instant creativity,” where I claim to sit down at the computer with a blank mind and say, “Fingers, don’t fail me now.” Not true. I’m too much of a nit-picker to leave it to my typing fingers to attack the deadline.

I really don’t have a blueprint to soothe the deadline blues.

The selection will be an idea that comes into my head early enough that something at least quasi- intelligible will emerge.

I envy columnists who write about politics, international relations, business or economic issues.

Something is always happening in these areas; column cannon fodder automatically stands at the ready.

Since this is called Rusty Saber, not the Solemn Saber or Political Saber, my deadline quencher needs to be something not too serious or provocative. My antenna is always up in search of ideas for Rusticisms, aka, ones that might make the cut and become the next Rusty Saber.

On to the next one.

Joe McAdoo is former chairman of the communication department at Drury University.