Everyone needs to understand is that you have to do what works best for you. That's how the process works, your way of writing is what works best for you.
The 15-minute timer technique works for me. When I am procrastinating or frustrated, I set the timer for 15 minutes and attend to the task, without any side tracking. When the timer goes off, I take a break or switch tasks. This strategy helps with chores and aided me as I completed my doctoral degree!
What this guy is saying is so true to life it's mind blowing. I remember being a a physics student and whenever I studied past 8 hours a day my grades would suffer. Only when I did short bursts of focused studying did I see my C's become Bs and As. And I had time to spare for a social life.
Having a stopwatch is a lot like block scheduling but it seems a lot more freeing in the sense that something doesnt have to be accomplished in one sitting, but actually in the day. Thats a cool idea
I'm glad that not writing things down works for him, but it does not work for everyone. I have to write any decent ideas down, otherwise all of my ideas (whether they turn out to be good or bad) get lost in the tornado of life. It *really* sucks to be left with the feeling that you had a great idea but can't remember it. It's even worse when you remember only some parts of a great idea but not the best part, leaving you with a half-assed idea. And the obvious objection of "if you can't remember it then it wasn't that good" is total post-justification, trying to convince yourself that it wasn't good when, in reality, you will never know because you can't remember it! To each their own, as with pretty much everything...
He's so accurate about how managing time is the key to generating more writing because in a single day you can make no time for writing, and you end up going day by day not getting any productivity in that department.
Very helpful ideas, particularly as the greatest demoralizing activity is not having written and looking at the clock in depression. I like his notion of using time in a smart way.
Nooo.... Writing down anything at all is the hard part. Not writing it down is how you lose good stuff. How you tell if it's bad is when you come back to it later, and it fails to spark new ideas.
Thats my normal mentality. I sometimes regret NOT jotting down at least something to later remind me. I will admit its a interesting idea just not mine.
I remember when Stephen King was asked if he kept a writer’s notebook for ideas, he said keeping a writer’s notebook is the best way to enshrine bad ideas. The good, meaningful ideas are like seeds that naturally grow, and don’t need to be written down. I’d say that’s true of big ideas, but for small ones-good scenes, conversation topics for characters, daily observations-that’s different, and those are worth writing down to remember and use later
I’ve been writing for about fifteen years and every idea that lead to a book was easily rememberable, all the ones that I wrote down immortalized bad ideas. I no longer wrote down anything.
I just love watching his lectures. Well that's what they seem. I get a life and college course all in one every time film courage interviews him. Thanks.
4:40 … and then, “by definition you cannot manage an infinite thing”.. ..” you can not manage work, you can only manage time” Wow. This is something I’ve been waiting to hear a long while now. So 🎯 about productivity and perception and the way the majority of kids who are now adults or becoming so have all been so misled on the ideas of productivity and mind diversities. ❤ live in my own time. 9:38 I love this quote :) It’s not self centered to give yourself your time, too. If we make space for others to live in their time and us in ours harmony would happen, we would all find our collective flow:)
This is crazy. A much better strategy is to get better at discerning which ideas are the ones that are worth exploring. Sure, some big ideas will stick with you if you don't write them down, but most of them won't, and you don't want to throw out great stuff for no reason. Unless you're just flooded with so many brilliant ideas that you can afford to be throw most of them away, in which case, good for you.
I NEVER 'write down' or jot notes about a writing idea: if the story idea is any good and is exciting to muse over, I will remember to proceed with it and enjoy remembering.
Super interesting about time management. I use timers as well. It always makes me more productive. I think the idea of "your time vs. the world's time" is fascinating.
@@filmcourage Absolutely!! I installed an app on my phone that sets limits. I realized that I'm spending 4-5 hours on my phone just doing things like email, text, social media and RUclips.
So good.... as he always is. Ken's philosophy on time reminds me of the fabulous book from 1985 called The Art of Time by Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber, which explores experienced time as opposed to clock time. I'm certainly suffering from spending too much time on tasks, beyond the point of productivity. I have a habit of trying to 'push through' and I know it's not always productive... the problem is the 'not always' belief, which tricks me into trying every time!
To identify that "one individual attention span" as the key to successfully achieve full task... Errrrr... Touché! Ouch...! Many times I find myself all over the place for not being able to compartmentalize time... Thank you so much Dr. Ken!
I really like the idea of not writing down EVERY idea. This, I think, makes a couple of assumptions though. First, for this to work, I must be in a continuous practice of writing. Two, that the idea is something general, like a story concept rather than a specific line of dialogue or line in a poem. In other words, if the story idea doesn't haunt me for a couple of weeks, it's not an idea for me to pursue in practice.
Paul McCartney has talked about that in his writing early Beatles songs, he said if him and John Lennon couldn't remember the song the next day that just meant that it wasn't that memorable and they moved on to something else that was.
4:40 … and then, “by definition you cannot manage an infinite thing”.. ..” you can not manage work, you can only manage time” Wow. This is something I’ve been waiting to hear a long while now. So 🎯 about productivity and perception and the way the majority of kids who are now adults or becoming so have all been so misled on the ideas of productivity and mind diversities.
this point about not having to do something with every idea troubled me yesterday. I sat there feeling motivated to begin but overwhelmed at the number of supposedly good ideas I feel I have. Where to begin? I can rattle off 6-7 ideas I have right now. Some writing, some in business.
If Matt Damon would have followed this speaker's advise, we would've never heard of him. Matt Damon had written the idea for his movie 'Goodwill Hunting' and left it alone for about a year when he was in Harvard. It came to him in an English class.
I find that the good ideas stay with me and there is no need to write them down. A good idea grows inside me and the bad ones die. Often though I'll have an idea and I just kinda know whether it is a good one or not. The stop watch idea is a good one, something I'll definitely try.
No need to write your idea down. The idea won't go away, won't leave your brain, and you will have to sit down and get it done if only to be free of it.
Habacuc 2:2. Write the vision, make it plain so that he who reads it will run. Thank you Matt Damon for writing your masterful vision down, and winning the Oscar!
Totally disagree about not writing ideas down. I HAVE gone back when I'm at a loss for new project ideas. Yeah, you write down lots of bad ideas...SO WHAT? You just don't use them! My last two screenplays came from ideas I jotted down over a year ago.
@Scott Slotterbeck. Carpedium. Seize the day! Oh my God, I totally agree with you Scott. I absolutely disagree with this speaker. Do you know how many songs I've lost by not writing it down? Regret, regret, regret, when you lost that moment- when you were in the zone and didn't grasp it. Sometimes it never comes back. What this man is daying is gibberish.
I think the point is that he made us think twice about writing something down. maybe there are people out there who write everything and it would be better if they put a bigger filter when they judge their ideas, in my case I also like writing down everything, maybe because I don't write that much yet.
So what if they write everything down? They don't use it, so what??? I write down jokes and funny things to maybe use at some point. It's all on my phone, so no trees died for my verbosity.
I used to manage my work and progress by achieving end goals without taking into account daily progress as much as i should've. Goning to manage my time better i hope
The best ideas endure. I can't write stuff down because I can never read my own handwriting after the fact, no matter how legible it seems when I first write the thing down. I'm into painting and paper mache, now.
Not sure about this. If you have a bad memory or have a very busy life, then you would run the risk of losing that idea forever. Surely it’s better to write everything down, but just work on your ability to identify a good/bad idea when you see one.
This is my process so far, im brainstorming but not yet writing it down (other than the premise) and im able to form the ideas and the relevant details stick in my mind while the tangents can be forgotten. Ive gotten more done in a month than i normally would... But ya i know i need to write it down, im just not obsessing over that detail at this stage. Its nice to hear someone talk in defense of the crazy approach lol
I type ideas onto blank fortune cookie slips and place them inside gelatin capsules, which I then insert it into my rectum, and if I cough it up three days later, I know it's worth pursuing. I've trained myself in this method and it helps to keep me from wasting time with bad ideas. In the meantime, however, I use an egg timer, put my phone in another room, and most importantly, TURN OFF THE WIFI. As with most writerly advice, keep the salt handy.
I'm a retired Language Arts teacher. I've written four novels and for two years I can't get any literary agents nor publishers interested to publish. Any advice?
The general advice for when we finish a work and can't publish it is just... Move on, finish another book and try again. Seriously. The book could've been rejected for the most varied reasons, could simply be because the agents you contacted don't work with your genre or story type, or could be because there are visible writing flaws in the chapter 1 or the query letter. It depends on a lot of factors. If you write literary fiction, it would be way better to submit it into a contest, since they usually win prizes more easily and are actually very difficult to sell. If you write genre fiction, try to compare your work to the other bestsellers out there that are the same genre you're writing. Try to hire an editor, they'd be able to sort out what works and what doesn't in your story, just like script consultants do. I'd recommend hiring an editor from Reedsy. They are the best in what they do and their team has actual experience in the industry, such as having worked in the big five for years.
Profound. But interesting how there are people alike that think the same. Call me crazy, but I am not. Thanks for the video! As always, extraordinary. (y)
@@filmcourage I see great value in the content you provide. It's an obvious goldmine for writers but many of the insights provided by the speakers are helpful in dealing with life in general as well. So onward and upwards is right:), keep going 👍🏻
![A Writer's Time: Making The Time To Write - Dr. Ken Atchity [FULL INTERVIEW]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Y6nshRTjSFw/mqdefault.jpg)
Watch full videos interviews with Dr. Ken Atchity: ruclips.net/video/ZGVVXVdIMyo/видео.html and ruclips.net/video/Y6nshRTjSFw/видео.html
thank you 😁
Everyone needs to understand is that you have to do what works best for you. That's how the process works, your way of writing is what works best for you.
The 15-minute timer technique works for me. When I am procrastinating or frustrated, I set the timer for 15 minutes and attend to the task, without any side tracking. When the timer goes off, I take a break or switch tasks. This strategy helps with chores and aided me as I completed my doctoral degree!
What this guy is saying is so true to life it's mind blowing. I remember being a a physics student and whenever I studied past 8 hours a day my grades would suffer. Only when I did short bursts of focused studying did I see my C's become Bs and As. And I had time to spare for a social life.
Yeah your brain needs time to do its own subconscious absorbing
Having a stopwatch is a lot like block scheduling but it seems a lot more freeing in the sense that something doesnt have to be accomplished in one sitting, but actually in the day. Thats a cool idea
I'm glad that not writing things down works for him, but it does not work for everyone. I have to write any decent ideas down, otherwise all of my ideas (whether they turn out to be good or bad) get lost in the tornado of life.
It *really* sucks to be left with the feeling that you had a great idea but can't remember it. It's even worse when you remember only some parts of a great idea but not the best part, leaving you with a half-assed idea. And the obvious objection of "if you can't remember it then it wasn't that good" is total post-justification, trying to convince yourself that it wasn't good when, in reality, you will never know because you can't remember it!
To each their own, as with pretty much everything...
He's so accurate about how managing time is the key to generating more writing because in a single day you can make no time for writing, and you end up going day by day not getting any productivity in that department.
I like the stopwatch idea a lot, going to try it out!
Very helpful ideas, particularly as the greatest demoralizing activity is not having written and looking at the clock in depression. I like his notion of using time in a smart way.
_Things to do:_
1. Have coffee. ✔️
2. Write smart ass comments. ✔️
3. Take over the world and rule with an iron fist !
4. Finish my script. ✔️
Nooo.... Writing down anything at all is the hard part. Not writing it down is how you lose good stuff. How you tell if it's bad is when you come back to it later, and it fails to spark new ideas.
Thats my normal mentality.
I sometimes regret NOT jotting down at least something to later remind me.
I will admit its a interesting idea just not mine.
If the idea is interesting enough you won't forget it.
I think what he's saying is after years of experience youll find thats not how it works long term
I remember when Stephen King was asked if he kept a writer’s notebook for ideas, he said keeping a writer’s notebook is the best way to enshrine bad ideas. The good, meaningful ideas are like seeds that naturally grow, and don’t need to be written down. I’d say that’s true of big ideas, but for small ones-good scenes, conversation topics for characters, daily observations-that’s different, and those are worth writing down to remember and use later
I’ve been writing for about fifteen years and every idea that lead to a book was easily rememberable, all the ones that I wrote down immortalized bad ideas. I no longer wrote down anything.
I just love watching his lectures. Well that's what they seem. I get a life and college course all in one every time film courage interviews him. Thanks.
I love your channel and I love the way you never get into the frame but just give us so much information and insight without ever revealing yourself.
4:40 … and then, “by definition you cannot manage an infinite thing”..
..” you can not manage work, you can only manage time”
Wow.
This is something I’ve been waiting to hear a long while now.
So 🎯 about productivity and perception and the way the majority of kids who are now adults or becoming so have all been so misled on the ideas of productivity and mind diversities.
❤ live in my own time.
9:38 I love this quote :)
It’s not self centered to give yourself your time, too. If we make space for others to live in their time and us in ours harmony would happen, we would all find our collective flow:)
This is crazy. A much better strategy is to get better at discerning which ideas are the ones that are worth exploring. Sure, some big ideas will stick with you if you don't write them down, but most of them won't, and you don't want to throw out great stuff for no reason. Unless you're just flooded with so many brilliant ideas that you can afford to be throw most of them away, in which case, good for you.
I NEVER 'write down' or jot notes about a writing idea: if the story idea is any good and is exciting to muse over, I will remember to proceed with it and enjoy remembering.
Super interesting about time management. I use timers as well. It always makes me more productive. I think the idea of "your time vs. the world's time" is fascinating.
Thanks for watching, Jim! It's interesting to see how much time something takes (usually much longer than first thought).
@@filmcourage Absolutely!! I installed an app on my phone that sets limits. I realized that I'm spending 4-5 hours on my phone just doing things like email, text, social media and RUclips.
Wow. That's a valuable app. Thank you for sharing, Jim.
@@filmcourage you bet it's called Stay Focused
This guy is so smart and makes you think about things in a whole new way! 👌🏾
So good.... as he always is.
Ken's philosophy on time reminds me of the fabulous book from 1985 called The Art of Time by Jean-Louis Servan-Schreiber, which explores experienced time as opposed to clock time.
I'm certainly suffering from spending too much time on tasks, beyond the point of productivity. I have a habit of trying to 'push through' and I know it's not always productive... the problem is the 'not always' belief, which tricks me into trying every time!
I'm gonna start using that stopwatch time mindset when I sit down to create. It's very sensible advice
Ken's advice is inspirational for me, counter-intuitive and practical at the same time. Thanks for another great snippet.
To identify that "one individual attention span" as the key to successfully achieve full task... Errrrr... Touché! Ouch...! Many times I find myself all over the place for not being able to compartmentalize time... Thank you so much Dr. Ken!
I really like the idea of not writing down EVERY idea. This, I think, makes a couple of assumptions though. First, for this to work, I must be in a continuous practice of writing. Two, that the idea is something general, like a story concept rather than a specific line of dialogue or line in a poem. In other words, if the story idea doesn't haunt me for a couple of weeks, it's not an idea for me to pursue in practice.
I appreciate his views. Insightful.
Have been doing the Stopwatch method for a year using TimeDoctor. Love it.
Probably the most productive interview I've learned from.
I don’t want to meet the person who gives this a thumb’s down. Atchity is so articulate and thought provoking.
Paul McCartney has talked about that in his writing early Beatles songs, he said if him and John Lennon couldn't remember the song the next day that just meant that it wasn't that memorable and they moved on to something else that was.
Never limit your character's world by giving them a plot. Give them a problem to solve and see what happens.
4:40 … and then, “by definition you cannot manage an infinite thing”..
..” you can not manage work, you can only manage time”
Wow.
This is something I’ve been waiting to hear a long while now.
So 🎯 about productivity and perception and the way the majority of kids who are now adults or becoming so have all been so misled on the ideas of productivity and mind diversities.
Great interview.
this point about not having to do something with every idea troubled me yesterday. I sat there feeling motivated to begin but overwhelmed at the number of supposedly good ideas I feel I have. Where to begin? I can rattle off 6-7 ideas I have right now. Some writing, some in business.
If Matt Damon would have followed this speaker's advise, we would've never heard of him. Matt Damon had written the idea for his movie 'Goodwill Hunting' and left it alone for about a year when he was in Harvard. It came to him in an English class.
True but I wonder if he'd have remembered it anyway being such a strong idea.
Another helpful video from Dr. Ken. He’s a phenomenal teacher
This is a really great LIFE principle
If that picture is you, then you have a beautiful face😘
Love that quote by Roth... great stuff
Excellent stuff 👍👍
Dr. Atchity describes his house theoretically burning down as just a “particular interruption.” That’s how you know he’s a writer! 🤦🏼♂️🤣
I find that the good ideas stay with me and there is no need to write them down. A good idea grows inside me and the bad ones die. Often though I'll have an idea and I just kinda know whether it is a good one or not.
The stop watch idea is a good one, something I'll definitely try.
My favourite mentor for creative writing ✍️😀
No need to write your idea down. The idea won't go away, won't leave your brain, and you will have to sit down and get it done if only to be free of it.
This was amazing
Habacuc 2:2. Write the vision, make it plain so that he who reads it will run. Thank you Matt Damon for writing your masterful vision down, and winning the Oscar!
Brilliant
I got notes everywhere.
Totally disagree about not writing ideas down. I HAVE gone back when I'm at a loss for new project ideas. Yeah, you write down lots of bad ideas...SO WHAT? You just don't use them! My last two screenplays came from ideas I jotted down over a year ago.
@Scott Slotterbeck. Carpedium. Seize the day! Oh my God, I totally agree with you Scott. I absolutely disagree with this speaker. Do you know how many songs I've lost by not writing it down? Regret, regret, regret, when you lost that moment- when you were in the zone and didn't grasp it. Sometimes it never comes back. What this man is daying is gibberish.
*saying
I think the point is that he made us think twice about writing something down.
maybe there are people out there who write everything and it would be better if they put a bigger filter when they judge their ideas, in my case I also like writing down everything, maybe because I don't write that much yet.
So what if they write everything down? They don't use it, so what??? I write down jokes and funny things to maybe use at some point. It's all on my phone, so no trees died for my verbosity.
I used to manage my work and progress by achieving end goals without taking into account daily progress as much as i should've. Goning to manage my time better i hope
Can't "connect the dots" if one doesn't have a reservoir of "dots" to begin with. One's art is choosing which dots to connect.
Yes
Very good advice!
Mitch Hedberg said if he had an idea for a joke and the pen was too far away, he had to convince himself the joke wasn't any good :D
I hope someday that an artist creates wallpaper from his notes. That’d be a beautiful tribute.
The best ideas endure. I can't write stuff down because I can never read my own handwriting after the fact, no matter how legible it seems when I first write the thing down. I'm into painting and paper mache, now.
Not sure about this. If you have a bad memory or have a very busy life, then you would run the risk of losing that idea forever. Surely it’s better to write everything down, but just work on your ability to identify a good/bad idea when you see one.
This is my process so far, im brainstorming but not yet writing it down (other than the premise) and im able to form the ideas and the relevant details stick in my mind while the tangents can be forgotten. Ive gotten more done in a month than i normally would... But ya i know i need to write it down, im just not obsessing over that detail at this stage. Its nice to hear someone talk in defense of the crazy approach lol
Thanks for sharing. Interesting to hear you say you've gotten more work done than normal. Keep creating!
What's the assumption that most writers get wrong?
I type ideas onto blank fortune cookie slips and place them inside gelatin capsules, which I then insert it into my rectum, and if I cough it up three days later, I know it's worth pursuing. I've trained myself in this method and it helps to keep me from wasting time with bad ideas. In the meantime, however, I use an egg timer, put my phone in another room, and most importantly, TURN OFF THE WIFI. As with most writerly advice, keep the salt handy.
I'm a retired Language Arts teacher. I've written four novels and for two years I can't get any literary agents nor publishers interested to publish. Any advice?
Have you gotten anyone to read them or are you just trying to get read?
The general advice for when we finish a work and can't publish it is just... Move on, finish another book and try again. Seriously.
The book could've been rejected for the most varied reasons, could simply be because the agents you contacted don't work with your genre or story type, or could be because there are visible writing flaws in the chapter 1 or the query letter. It depends on a lot of factors.
If you write literary fiction, it would be way better to submit it into a contest, since they usually win prizes more easily and are actually very difficult to sell.
If you write genre fiction, try to compare your work to the other bestsellers out there that are the same genre you're writing.
Try to hire an editor, they'd be able to sort out what works and what doesn't in your story, just like script consultants do. I'd recommend hiring an editor from Reedsy. They are the best in what they do and their team has actual experience in the industry, such as having worked in the big five for years.
@@brunayamaguchi9664 thank you!
5:54🔥💥
Profound. But interesting how there are people alike that think the same. Call me crazy, but I am not. Thanks for the video! As always, extraordinary. (y)
Great interview but I come here for the ads
Screenwriting, Film directing, & producing are my passions I want to direct my own films can you give me advice on Film director & producing
no idea why this channel only has 173k subscribers
We remember having 0. At this point we're simply grateful to have people viewing and supporting our work. With that said, onward and upward : )
@@filmcourage I see great value in the content you provide. It's an obvious goldmine for writers but many of the insights provided by the speakers are helpful in dealing with life in general as well. So onward and upwards is right:), keep going 👍🏻
He's got this backwards. You can't judge if the idea is good or bad straight off the bat that comes later
@Osakattack. Exactly!
If you don't write down what the idea is and when you got, how do you know when two weeks are up?
Stopwatch
“The writers notebook is the best way to immortalize bad ideas” -Stephen King
WOW
The Random Idiosyncrasies of One Rambling Old Man Who Needs a Stopwatch to Force Himself to Write: Some Writing Rules for Everyone
Asperger's??
Excellent content, terrible audio quality,
Thanks for the feedback. Can you be more specific? Where did we go wrong with the audio?
Love this channel. Hated this BS.
There sure are a lot of interviews with really bad advice on this channel. "Don't write anything down". Christ.
C'mon now, 11 min ads on a 11 min video. 👎