I got called in to deliver a seminar presentation on short notice. Twenty-six hours from “yes, I’ll do it,” to being in the room talking submissions and the publishing industry and answering questions about how it all works. Building content off the powerpoint provided and trusting in experience and prior seminars to fill in the rest of what I needed.
It went well. Better than expected, since the last time I did a library seminar was around three years ago.
I love a quick turn-around project, every now and then. The pressure to deliver on a tight deadline, coupled with the knowledge that you’re a last minute replacement, means I’m hyper-aware the the primary virtue of the work is getting it done on time and good enough instead of fretting about being great.
Over the years I’ve done it with freelance game design, short stories to fill anthology gaps, lectures, workshops and seminars. They’re almost never the best work that I’ve done, but they’re among the most satisfying projects I get a chance to do.
