O: Organization

Part of my life is very organized and another part of my life isn't. With my writing and at my day job, everything has its place. But, at home, my desk is a disaster area, dishes are piled high sometimes, and the carpet usually needs vacuuming. Today, I'm going to talk about being an organized writer.

I think every writer has their own way of organizing their work. When I started, I never thought I would use a three-ring binder, as was suggested to me once by another writer. I thought it was too bulky and a hassle to deal with. I started out my keeping notes and research in a vinyl folder, but soon found that it was too easy for things to fall out of the folder. I tried the binder, actually only to prove that it wouldn't work. What I found out was that it was perfect. Now, I have a binder for each book that I write. Each binder has sections for tracking my word count, chapter outline and synopsis, research, and notes. Yes, it is still bulky, but nothing falls out of the binder like it did with the folder.

Other things that I have found invaluable in my organization are Project Folders. I found mine at Walmart. They are pre-printed on the outside and inside with places for project name, date, reference, contacts, action steps, and notes. I mostly use the Project Folders for non-fiction articles. I also keep a mini recorder with me most of the time to record ideas that come to me when I can't writ them down. A digital recorder works best, but I have a mini-cassette recorder which works best for me. There's also Post-it Notes®. There's also planners, calendar books, small notebooks, cell phones for notes, and don't forget to back-up your work often and on different drives. I use the hard-drive, two flash drives, and an external drive. Some people email the document to themselves.

Organization can be an important key to becoming published.

Carol

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