Managing Multiple Stories
Okay, so I'm doing an authorly post today because I'm trying to avoid writing. After you read this you'll wonder how I have time to avoid writing. I wonder that myself. :-)
I thought last year was busy for putting words to page, but 2011 is even busier. At any given time, I'll be working on at least two stories, but more often, three. How to keep that all straight and manage? I've yet to find the perfect tool—what I want is one of those huge desk-size calendars that shows the entire year on one page, and can be mounted on the wall. But I've found reasonable replacements. A calendar is my savior. I need to be able to glance at it and see where I'm at, and where I need to be.
I found a great wall calendar that features three months at a time. Daily, I don't really want to see any farther than that ahead. I highlight things that are due in green and check them off when I hand them in (hopefully a week or two in advance), and the pink highlights are books that are pubbed. Then I can scribble all my blog dates on there as well. And life's appointments, and well, I'd die without this calendar.
Now I also need the year long calendar and have used this site for years to print up one at the beginning of each new year. That gives me a calendar I can keep on my desk for quick reference and to either reassure myself I'm on track, or put the fear of failure in my bones. Not enough room to write stuff (which I really want) but I put the pink dots for Things That Are Due and an abbreviation of the title (includes proposals and full stories), and the yellow dots are Books That Are Released. You'll notice July and November are the only months without Things That Are Due. And the first pink dot in May is circled twice because I have 2 things due that day. Oy.
Just wanted to show this today because it is one of my most important tools to writing, and...staying sane.
So this year I have 3 Nocturnes, 2 Nocturne Bites, 1 Rogue Angel, and 2 novellas for anthologies to write. I added up total words I need to write in 2011: 390,000
I thought last year was busy for putting words to page, but 2011 is even busier. At any given time, I'll be working on at least two stories, but more often, three. How to keep that all straight and manage? I've yet to find the perfect tool—what I want is one of those huge desk-size calendars that shows the entire year on one page, and can be mounted on the wall. But I've found reasonable replacements. A calendar is my savior. I need to be able to glance at it and see where I'm at, and where I need to be.
I found a great wall calendar that features three months at a time. Daily, I don't really want to see any farther than that ahead. I highlight things that are due in green and check them off when I hand them in (hopefully a week or two in advance), and the pink highlights are books that are pubbed. Then I can scribble all my blog dates on there as well. And life's appointments, and well, I'd die without this calendar.
Now I also need the year long calendar and have used this site for years to print up one at the beginning of each new year. That gives me a calendar I can keep on my desk for quick reference and to either reassure myself I'm on track, or put the fear of failure in my bones. Not enough room to write stuff (which I really want) but I put the pink dots for Things That Are Due and an abbreviation of the title (includes proposals and full stories), and the yellow dots are Books That Are Released. You'll notice July and November are the only months without Things That Are Due. And the first pink dot in May is circled twice because I have 2 things due that day. Oy.
Just wanted to show this today because it is one of my most important tools to writing, and...staying sane.
So this year I have 3 Nocturnes, 2 Nocturne Bites, 1 Rogue Angel, and 2 novellas for anthologies to write. I added up total words I need to write in 2011: 390,000
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