When most of us receive an assignment or have a task to complete, the first thing we do is ask for the deadline. By when does this need to be completed? It's a logical question to ask, but when it comes to writing one cannot help wondering whether it can hinder the process instead of helping it.

Having a deadline can be incredibly motivating for a writer. It forces him or her to sit down and at least try an idea, even if it doesn't stick, because there's an end date on the horizon. While some of us have better time management than others, most are willing to stay up a few extra hours to get something done on time. Perhaps he or she will consult with someone else to try and develop ideas and concepts in order to better put them into words.

But what if nothing comes?

I struggle with anxiety in a general sense, but dealing with deadlines can increase this. That feeling is even more amplified when said deadline has to do with writing and I have absolutely nothing. Any writer will tell you when he/she comes up that empty, it isn't for lack of trying, and there is some panic among everything else racing around in our brains. We love writing, but that doesn't mean it isn't one of the biggest stressors in our lives, and that's before a deadline is even added to begin with.

It's hard to wonder whether deadlines help or hurt, though their necessity has shown to exist.