This information is from some notes I took while attending a panel, during a previous year of my favorite symposium, Life the Universe and Everything. Those listed on the panel were: Elana Johnson, Rebecca Shelley, Emily Sorensen.

– To meet a deadline other things will need to be put on hold.
– Work in advance or much as possible.
– Deadline can to used to say No when people try to divert you from your work.
– Set your own minor deadlines to build toward the bigger deadline.
– See what work can be done where. If you need to take your kids to practice or doctor’s office then as you wait you can edit your manuscript.
– How to be creative on the spur of the moment = taking walks helps some writers. Avoid distractions (ear phones keep out noise). Set aside ‘me’ time to help lessen stress such a reading or something you enjoy etc.
– One author will put in notes in the text of a manuscript and then mark that area to come back to later. Then on a rewrite the author will do a search and fix each spot. Doing a head count at the end of each day’s writing shows the progress of removing the marked items that have been rewritten to fix the problem areas.
– Suggest that you have two different computers in different locations one for writing and one for email and blogging etc. This helps some writers in their multitasking.
– One way of self-editing: first draft telling the story, dialog at the skeleton level, second draft fix scenes, add 5 senses. Third draft: add emotion. Fourth: grammar and clarify text. Have alpha readers Fifth: line edit. Beta readers.
– Take a break between drafts for a week or more so you can come back to the text with new eyes. Some authors take a break for three or six months or more.
– Have safe readers who like the genre you write in to critique. And beta readers after rewrite.
– Don’t turn off your internal editor.
– Reading previous chapters can get you ready to write new chapters.
Do you have advice on how to make meeting a deadline? Please feel free to share your ideas.