Tips to Increase Your Writing Productivity – Kevin J. Anderson

by C. LaRene Hall

You probably knew that I would get around to talking about the LDStorymakers writing conference that was held earlier this month. I only attended on Saturday and enjoyed every minute I was there.

The first class I attended was about techniques on how to use every minute and get more words written. I took lots of notes and one thing that I liked best was when he said, "Nobody gives you the time to write. Nobody gives you the time. You have to find it and make the most of it."

For some reason there are people out there that think they are the only ones who are busy. We are all busy - some more than others. I learned years ago that you find time for the things that are important to you.

The very first tip from Kevin Anderson was to shut up and write - don't just talk about writing. DO IT!

Next he reminded us that it’s your job so put in your time. Make sure your friends know you are at work. If you don’t take it seriously no one else will.

Two other hints he gave us are -  Defy the empty page,  Dare to be bad you can fix it later because it doesn’t have to be perfect.

I was glad that he brought out that we each should know the difference between writing and editing. They are different thing. Writing = creative. Editing = elitical part – engineer looking at how scenes are. He encouraged us to remember that when we are writing and have the momentum going –keep it going. We can switch hats and become an editor later. You can do your research and fix things another time. If you are in the middle of an action scene you don’t stop to look things up. You can always go back and make changes.

Next he told us to use every minute. Write at the drop of a hat because you never know how much time you are going to have. You have to learn to make the most of the time when you have the time. If you only have time to write one or two sentences, write with the time you have. I am guilty of this. I don't always write and use every minute that I have.

I particularly love the next tip. Set goals for yourself and stick to them. He continued by telling us we should work on different projects at the same time. Change the channel and switch to something else.
The next tip was to create your best writing environment. You need to figure out what works best for you. Pay attention to your writing setup. Look at what your setup is. Fix it for comfort.

The next tip was something I had never thought about - Think outside the keyboard. This is not the only way you can write. Try writing with a goose-quill – write with a notepad. Work on your lap top other places. Look at different ways you can do your writing. Use a recorder to tell your stories. Go somewhere where you get inspiration and then tell your story. You can use the recorder for notes.

The last tip was to get inspired! The more ingredients you have in your head the better. Exercise your creative muscles.

He concluded the class by telling us to know when to stop. If you are writing and rewriting and rewriting and you are not sending it anywhere – endless polishing doesn’t make it perfect – only endless. Finish it and send it out. You can’t keep editing over and over again.

This was a great class and his many tips were things that will help me.

See you next week.