Note Card Organization | Writer's Life (Lauricia)

 I love journals. Whenever I see a blank stack of paper, my fingers itch with the urge to find the nearest pen and fill each page with line after line of story. Add a stylish cover and the sale is practically made, whether I need a new journal or not. This minor compulsion is so strong that my elder son is prone to pushing me ever-so-subtly past the stationary aisle of whatever store we happen to be in at the time.

One lovely side-effect of my addiction is the benefit a new journal brings to my writing. As already mentioned, a new journal begs to be filled, so it can be a great means of inspiration for me on those days when it’s oh-so-hard to write. Not only is a journal a great place to sketch out scenes for my current work in progress, it’s also a fabulous place to keep notes and ideas.

At least, until I need to find those scenes, notes, and ideas.

Because of my love of journals, I have a whole collection of them. Flipping through them to find a half-remembered story idea or a tidbit of inspiration is time consuming and, often, quite frustrating in spite of the elaborate indexing and coding system I’ve developed to prevent such frustration-inducing experiences. I had given up on finding any better system, ascribing the time lost while questing through journals as part of a writer’s lot, until I learned of a revolutionary new idea: note cards.

In 2018, I discovered the phenomenon that is podcasting. A short while later, I drove through a suburb of Houston listening to podcasts randomly shuffled from the list on my phone. (My vehicle’s audio system syncs to my phone. How cool is that?) As I sat in rush-hour traffic waiting for my turn to be cut off by a light that changed color much too quickly, my phone landed on a show called the Hope Writers podcast. On episode 03-07, titled “How to Capture and Organize all of Your Writing Ideas,” the hosts of the blog discuss a way of using note cards to organize writing ideas and inspirations. The system is so much like the one that I teach to my students as they compile information for research papers that I felt as if a 2x4 had struck my head. I swear I heard the timber plank crack as it figuratively crashed upside my skull.

The basic idea is this: instead of carrying a journal in which to scribble whatever piques your fancy, carry a deck of note cards. Jot one idea per card then, when you’re ready to begin a new project, organize those cards by topic and viola! Another application is to organize those cards by idea (setting, character, conflict…) and file them in a box according to whatever system works best for you. It sounds so simple, but I cannot tell you how much this idea has revolutionized my writing life. I found a durable but light-weight note card pocket at my local office supply store, so I can keep my note cards in my purse or bag without worrying that they will become tattered. This has allowed me to downsize my Mary Poppins-style bag to a cute purse and reduce the weight I consistently carry on my shoulder because of said bag. I don’t leave tons of unused pages in a journal because I left them blank in case I needed to add to the idea already begun there. It is easy to punch a hole in the note cards and add them to whatever upcoming story binder they belong to. (You know: those stories you can’t write yet but know you will soon. I collect those ideas most likely to be developed into full stories in three-ring binders of their own and add scene, conflict, and character details as I find them.) It’s also a great way to inspire creativity: find a few cards that connect in an intriguing way and you’ve got a new story idea or novel.

The possibilities are truly endless. Not only that, this system allows me to actually finish a journal to the point where I can pack it away and actually justify my next foray into the stationary aisle or—even better—office supply store.

While I’m not a fan of reinventing the wheel, I do appreciate discovering ways to make it run more smoothly. If you have any organizational tips or tricks you can’t live without, I would love to hear them in the comments below.

This blog was originally written for the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop in March of 2018.

Writer's Life: Planners Not Quite to Plan (Kimberly)

Hey everyone! Last year I wrote my first post on the two planners I was intending to use. This year... Let's talk about what happens when even a specialized planner doesn't quite work for your organization style.

Last year started off with grand plans to use two specialized for the working author planners to get my organized chaos approach to something a little more structured. I had the super detailed, everything under the business sun planner from Audrey Hughey and the more streamlined planner by my friend and now fellow blog contributor, Rachel Rossano. I tried to use both of them instead of my fill in a day planner only approach. I learned something very important - the everything under the sun super detailed in minute breakdowns including things I would never think about being in a planner approach in Hughey's author planner is great and efficient...IF you compartmentalize your schedules and to do lists to that extent without feeling stressed.

I also learned that I do not fit the above description. Being TOO structured in my to do lists doesn't work well for me due to both personality and the unpredictability of having a chronic illness. Chronic illnesses don't tend to respect the planner. So I wound up setting that planner aside and not getting another one for this year because it didn't gel with my process.

I did better with Rossano's streamlined planner especially since the weeks were undated so I could work around flare days without feeling like I was wasting chunks of a dated calendar (one of the other reasons dated planners don't fit well with my needs). That's a good thing to know as I move forward and work on streamlining my method for tracking my schedule and to do lists. The benefit of experimenting with planners is you find out what does and doesn't mesh with your style and personality.

So when super organized planners don't quite work as planned, that is okay. Like the variance in plotters, pantsers, and everyone in between, your planner approach doesn't have to match that of other authors. If you're like me and super planners are overwhelming or too structured for the more fluid approach you need, then I recommend getting an undated streamlined planner. Going the undated route allows you to work around non-writing days (or weeks) without feeling like you've wasted a schedule or overly pressured to do SOMETHING writing related when your day isn't allowing for writing moments. A streamlined writing planner will not have all the bells and whistles associated with the business side (like accounting or weekly reviews) but includes space for basics such as blog post scheduling and newsletter dates or swaps. It's a simplified balance between the writing and the business side of an author's schedule, which is something I personally prefer. Especially when my schedules tend to be very fluid unless I put a book up on preorder.

If your planners aren't working quite to plan, be flexible! Pivot to adjust and accommodate a more forgiving schedule. For me, that means undated planners and plenty of buffer included for scheduling deadlines. How about you?

Until next time!

Kimberly

Planning 2020 (Kimberly)

Planning 2020

Hello all! How do you plan your schedule? Is it completely detailed or perhaps you have a lot of floating/vague dates more along the lines of "maybe this quarter"? Scattered dates and checklists all over your house or at least your desk? Or one centralized master planner to rule them all?

Honesty moment, I've spent a lot of time being one of the scattered planner people and as I get further into my career, I find that doesn't really work for me. Whether traditionally published or indie, there's a lot of things beyond just hitting word counts we authors must track. There are various stages of the writing journey to reach publishing or submission deadlines, newsletters, blogs, social media, and also ads if that's part of our marketing plan. Add in your life outside of writing and things can quickly become overwhelming, chaotic, and a stressful mess of missed project dates and goals.

I've used regular date planners in the past, but they don't always click due to how much of both writing and business I need to track. So, this year I decided to try something new. I picked up The 2020 Author's Planner by Audrey Ann Hughey, an indie author who definitely understands there's more than just writing to track through the year. We're not very far into the new year, but I'm already loving this planner!

One of the two covers for the planner. Photo from Amazon.com.

The planner is aimed at consolidating the creative and business sides of being an author. What I especially love is the first page of the introduction urges you to be FLEXIBLE. Planners shouldn't be carved into stone, which can often be a downfall leading to author burnout because the author made every deadline immovable. However, planners with the cushion of flexibility can really help streamline and destress your author life whether you're a plotter or a pantser.

Some of the unique features of the Author's Planner are the sections aimed at clarifying our vision/goals for 2020 including the following: 1) agent submission and query tracking for those pursuing traditional or hybrid publishing, 2) reading list for business and pleasure, 3) income and expense tracking for each month, 4) a marketing plan ranging from publishing dates to visibility growth, and 5) a social media calendar. One of my favorite things is how each month begins with a reflection on the previous month and what did or didn't work before launching into the plan breakdown for the current month. Then the weekly calendar maintains a broad focus beyond just word count, which I love. You can make goals ranging from writing to editing to visibility, notate your writing buddy for the week, track the number of pitches you're sending out, and also address wellness goals and life priorities.

Now if this sounds a bit TOO organized and overwhelming for your needs, there are other planners that cater to author needs. One of my friends, indie author and designer Rachel Rossano, has just released her own all-in-one Writing & Marketing Planner. This is the kind of planner you grab if you want to easily track both marketing and writing without feeling bogged down by a bunch of extras. I haven't ordered this one yet. However, it's already moving to the top of my list for next year's planner picks because it's more streamlined while also organizing both the creative and business sides of the job. What I love about planners is that we can play around with them and experiment until we find one or two that's just the right fit for our lives and business styles.

Cover Photo from Lulu.com.

When I sat down at the end of the year to assess my 2020 goals, I knew better organization was going to be a major factor in my success. I've done the make your own planner and used word count oriented planners in the past, but this year I wanted something more structured that had room to coalesce my writing with the business side. Two of my priority goals are to publish a minimum of twelve books this year and to broaden my marketing focus, which would be difficult to achieve without being intentionally organized. Being scattered interferes with my focusing abilities, so I'm already benefitting from using more author oriented planners and I'm looking forward to seeing how the rest of 2020 unfolds.

What about you? What planners are you using this year? What made you choose them? Any trips or tricks for planning your year? I'd love to hear about them?

Until next time!
Kimberly