Tag: organization

The Non-Linear Novel-Writing Approach

an author's busy brain courtesy of pixabay.comWriting is hard enough, and even harder when you’re really busy. How many times have you been doing something and a great scene pops into your head? It may have to deal with your current WIP (or sometimes even a sequel you haven’t thought about writing), or it may be a scene far toward the end of the book. Writers joke about the worst places inspiration can hit: the car, the shower, in a restaurant, out shopping, or the most common: in bed. If you’re like me, your characters are with you all the time — and sometimes it’s annoying. They sneak into your thoughts and create scenes that are amazing when you least expect it. Yeah, thanks, guys!

These fleeting scenes are the gold in your writing. They are raw, wild, and spontaneous. So what do you do about them? Continue reading “The Non-Linear Novel-Writing Approach”

Organizing Multiple Manuscript Versions for Publication

grinding-bookThis is not a post that will teach you all sorts of wonderful things. This is a lament to make you all feel better, because it shows you that somebody else goes through the same epic battle as you do throughout every step of the self-publishing trek. In this case, the obstacle is keeping track of manuscripts during the publication process.

It all started when I went into the hospital for minor (and I emphasize the “minor” part) leg surgery, and made the mistake of allowing my wife, Linda, to stay with me while I had the pre-surgery chat with the surgeon. You know, the one where he writes a big arrow on the appropriate leg and signs it with a felt pen, just to avoid mistakes. But my mistake was letting Linda hear what he had to say about how long I was supposed to take to rehabilitate myself. Continue reading “Organizing Multiple Manuscript Versions for Publication”

Fuel-Efficient Productivity for Writers Part 2

too many notebooks for author organization
Photo courtesy of Rants of the Archer

Yesterday, I said that I’d found a better way to keep a combination writer’s notebook and Capture Device (from GTD.) A way so simple, so elegant, so fuel-efficient that I can envision myself using it for years to come. I found the method on Pinterest. It’s detailed in this article in the English-language version of The Tokyo Times, which says:

This little useful hack was taught in Japan but it’s a bit messy. Also, it’s something most people will not find themselves doing all the time, but it may come in handy for the right subject. Continue reading “Fuel-Efficient Productivity for Writers Part 2”

Fuel-Efficient Productivity for Writers

IU notebook for author planning

There are tons of productivity systems to help us keep track of ourselves. Analog systems such as the store-bought day planners like Filofax, Franklin, and DayTimer are old favorites. Other analog options are the inexpensive build-your-own systems like Getting Things Done (GTD,) and the newer system called Bullet Journaling (popular, but it’s much too elaborate for me). Digital products are also available. Two of the more highly rated ones are Planner Plus and the Anytime Organizer. We can even find (or improvise) hybrid systems combining a little of both. Continue reading “Fuel-Efficient Productivity for Writers”