Encycling

My methodology for completing a 2000-3000 word entry on "Devil films" in 17 days:

1. Get an e-mail from the editor soliciting authors for some last-minute entries.
2. Think to self: "Self, writing about movies featuring the devil sounds fun! Having already done entry on Antichrist, how hard can it be?"
3. Write back to editor offering to write entry.
4. By reply e-mail, find out the word count. Realize that you have volunteered to write a five-page paper on the subject.
5. Hoping to motivate self not to let project drag into next semester, and not wanting to tempt editor to assign an early deadline by suggesting something months from now, e-mail back offering to submit entry by Dec. 30.
6. Let project lie fallow until Christmas.
7. Spend a day researching early history of devil in film, movies where souls are sold. Make exhaustive list of seventies horror films involving Satanism.
8. Spend two afternoons writing one- and two-sentence descriptions of the films research turned up.
   
9. Spend an afternoon grouping sentences into thematic clusters and writing introductory, concluding, topic, and transition material in order to turn those groups into an essay.
10. Count words -- approximately 2250. Rejoice.
    
11. Send off to editor late on Dec. 30.
12. Feel a sense of unrenumerated accomplishment along with a rather sudden expertise in Satanic cinema.