3 Tips on Being a More Productive Writer

The above picture is the inspiration
for a teddy bear story I've wanted
to write for years, paired with Abi Wunder,
Book 3--my next project.
Wish me luck!

By Linda Wilson  bit.ly/3DtEXiV

Are you a one-project-at-a-time writer? I used to be. My published books include picture books and chapter books. For each one I worked on one project at a time. Until now. I just finished two books, A Home Run Friendship, middle grade, and a picture book, The Pur-r-rfect Costume. While working on one, the other rested. It worked well. I hope to continue working on multiple projects from now on.

Why change? In the past I was a slug. I believed I needed to devote myself completely to one project before starting another one. The trouble was that each project took an incredibly long time to complete. Yet I worked constantly, taking very few breaks. Now, I’ve finally seen the light! I know why I was so slow. I could have published many more books if I’d only realized what I was doing wrong. 

I would like to pass my experience on to you in hopes that these tips will help you become more productive. As for me, I’m excited. I now know that new projects that have been waiting in the wings for years can come to life in record time. 

Tip #1: Understand Story Structure

Begin your project with a “how-to.” How to write a picture book. How to write a chapter book. For your “how-to’s” you might have taken creative writing classes. Dig out your coursework, flag different sections. Keep it handy for reference on and off while you’re writing.

Moi took creative writing classes. Where did I keep the information while writing? On the bookshelf. Mind you, creative writing classes aren’t essential, but learning your craft is, however you go about it. For example, you can look up amazing “how-to” information on Google. Here’s a two-second search that I just did: 

Ms. Google? How can I write a chapter book for 7-to-10-year-olds?

Ms. AI replied with an overview:

Know Your Target Audience

Develop a Relatable Character

Structure the Plot

Etc.

How can you go wrong? This quick search can give you a launching point. A way to get started. But I think we all know there’s a lot more to writing a book than that. I’ll get to that in a minute.

My mistake? Getting lost in the minutiae. I was in a critique group. We went through my book chapter by chapter. I got so lost in the writing and re-writing that I forgot to refer to my “plan.” My “how-to.”   

Tip #1 Bottom Line: Dig out a plan for the book you’re writing. Hang it on your bulletin board or keep it close while you write. Refer to it often. It should save you time.

Tip #2: Once your draft is done, it's revision time. Begin making “must-have” passes through it. This is to ensure you’ve covered all the important story elements. Here is a Fiction Short List I gathered from various resources to go by during the polishing of a story.

• Take the time to comb through your entire draft one edit item at a time. 
• Does the beginning draw you in? Or could the story be started at a different point?
• Does the main character appear soon enough? Is there enough dialogue in the beginning?
• Change any "telling" sentences to "show" what your character is doing and thinking. 
• Is there a beginning, middle and end? Can you form a circle from beginning to end?
• Do the scenes flow and advance the plot?
• Does each character have an arc?
• Does your main character have a goal? Does the main character grow and change by the end?
• Does your story have conflict?
• Is your story predictable?
• Did you explain everything well?
• Would a different point of view, such as first person as opposed to third person, make the story more interesting?
• Are there any shifts in point of view?
• Does the dialogue sound natural?
• Are there any description "dumps" where pieces of information could be spread out, ever so briefly?
• Each chapter beginning establishes "place" and each chapter ending entices your reader to find out what happens next.
• Make sure no story threads get lost. As an example, in one of my books I had the kids holding flashlights in the dark. I had to make sure I didn’t drop this detail throughout the book. I had a dog and cat in the same book. In one of the first drafts, I’d dropped the dog by the middle. I had to make sure he made an appearance throughout.
• Check past drafts to add any spicy details that were inadvertently edited out, such as brief descriptive phrases and personal thoughts of your main character.
• Make sure you've covered the story elements, such as: Concept, Plot, Characterization, Voice, and Structure; beginning, middle and end; in a nutshell, the basics.
• Are there are any "dead spots" where the story doesn't move forward? Delete them.
• And finally: Does your story come to a satisfying conclusion?

Try this simple formula that I devised from suggestions gleaned from Elaine Marie Alphin's book, Creating Characters Kids will Love: 

Situation

Dialogue

Main character's thoughts and feelings

Action

Show moves or gestures and facial expressions to show feelings

Tip #2 Bottom Line: Be thorough. Keep your “must-haves” list handy to make sure you’ve covered everything.

Tip #3: Once your drafts are done, let your story breathe.

Let your draft sit for 3-5 days several times during the revision stage. You will have fresh eyes when you pick it up again. Look for holes in structure, places where the story doesn’t move forward, etc. Once you complete this process, you are ready to send your story to a professional editor. I highly recommend Chris Eboch, https://chriseboch.com. In each of my books that Chris edited I thought I covered everything. Not so. Chris has found many changes I’ve needed to make. 

Then, after you go through all this, your book will be ready for publication!

Tip #3 Bottom Line: The process of writing a book isn't easy. There are many ups and downs. Publishing is a challenge for everyone involved. But if you love to write, if you stick to it and never give up, you will reap rewards beyond your wildest dreams. Here are just a few rewards that keep me writing:

• I've met lots of people, the most wonderful people, many of whom have become my friends.
• Since retiring from teaching elementary school, I've continued to write for and be with children, as an offshoot of my teaching career.
• I entertain myself with my stories, which I find loads of fun. Like a party, if the hostess is having fun the guests will have fun, too. If I have fun writing my stories, hopefully my readers will have fun reading them.

It can be easy to feel discouraged while writing a book. Just remember why you're doing it, have fun, and above all, don't give up! Success is right around the corner!

Introductory photo by Linda Wilson

Photo below by Karinashuhphotography.com

Watch for my new
middle grade book,
A Home Run Friendship,
and picture book,
The Pur-r-rfect Costume,
coming soon.

Linda's latest release is Secret in the Mist, the second book in the Abi Wunder trilogy, illustrated by Danika Corrall, published December 2025. Two other new releases are Botas Altas, the Spanish version of Tall Boots, translated by Graciela Moreno and Adriana Botero, and Cuna en la Naturaleza, the Spanish version of Cradle in the Wild, translated by Adriana Botero. Both books have won awards. 

Increase Your Productivity

 

By Terry Whalin (@terrywhalin)

Because I’m involved in publishing, publishers and authors will send me books to review. As a literary agent or editor, writers will send email pitches or book proposals or manuscripts in the mail for consideration. If I am not consciously organizing this material, it does not take long for the paper and books to overwhelm my workspace and bottleneck any level of productivity. 

Maybe you’ve had this experience where the piles around you grow to such a level that you can’t accomplish anything because you spend half of your time looking for a particular item. I’ve walked into the offices of some editors, and they have paperwork piled everywhere. Some can barely reach their computer and desk because of the work piled around them. These editors have learned to work in the middle of such chaos, but it doesn’t work for me. 

Another editor friend is so organized that she has each of the books on her shelf alphabetized by the author’s last name. I’m definitely not that organized! The key to productivity for your publishing dreams is to create a system to tame the paper tigers in your life, the time wasters such as physical mail and email. 

Let’s return to the basic time wasters and find a solution for each one. 

First let’s tackle your email. There is no rule that you have to read or respond to every single email. In fact, it is unrealistic to have this expectation. Also reevaluate your participation in online email groups with high volume participation. What value are you getting from this group? Can you drop out or go into a digest format and skim the responses? It is worth your examination to find a more effective way to handle these emails. 

Veteran coach and management consultant David Allen has written a best-selling book I recommend called GETTING THINGS DONE. For every email or physical mail in your in-basket, Allen recommends you determine first, “Is it actionable?” If not, it goes into the trash, begins a tickler file so you can act on it later, or is filed for reference in a place you can retrieve it. If you look at the item and decide you can take action, then in less than two minutes, handle it (do it), delegate it (to someone else) or defer it (take action at a later date and set a specific time). These three steps move the items out of the holding pattern and into action or productive steps. 

Combined with these steps, Allen recommends you process the top item first, then the other items one at a time, and you never put anything back into the “in” basket. Use these steps as you handle your regular mail as well as your email. 

It’s important for each of us as writers to experiment and adopt whichever habits will work for your writing life and increase your productivity. I’ll have more insights next month with a second part about this topic of productivity. Each of us is on a journey to discover and use what will work for our writing life. 

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W. Terry Whalin, a writer and acquisitions editor lives in California. Get Terry’s newsletter and a 87-page FREE ebook packed with writing insights. Just follow this link to subscribe. A former magazine editor and former literary agent, Terry is an acquisitions editor at Morgan James Publishing. He has written more than 60 nonfiction books including  Jumpstart Your Publishing Dreams and Billy Graham. Get Terry’s recent book, 10 Publishing Myths for only $10, free shipping and bonuses worth over $200. To help writers catch the attention of editors and agents, Terry wrote his bestselling Book Proposals That $ell, 21 Secrets To Speed Your Success. His website is located at: www.terrywhalin.com. Connect with Terry on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.