Idea Banks - Time Savers for Writers

Authors are often asked to provide ideas or proposals for programs, workshops, and panels. These are some ways authors can create idea banks or files to help you save time and stay organized.

Program Proposals

• Many times libraries or other groups will ask for a workshop or program. I keep a folder on my computer with each topic. This make it easier when I have to put together a new proposal. (I file them by title and group, so I make sure I don’t repeat a topic.)

• You need a catchy title. It helps when you market the event. Just make sure people can tell what the subject is from your title.

• I also have a Word document that has a description of what will be covered and any key details like other speakers, what type of equipment is needed, etc.

• I keep any promotional flyers, social media posts, and pictures in my file, too. That way, I can use them on my website or on the socials.

Question Banks

• If you’re organizing or moderating a panel, you often need to create the questions.

• I have a Word document (filed by title and group) with the questions for each event. When I finish my question draft, I rearrange them in the order that makes sense for the flow of the panel discussion.

• In my Word document, I indicate which speaker the question is for or whether it’s a group question. (Not all panelists need to answer every question.)

• I review the draft with the panelists and get their input.

• Always have extra questions in case you have time to fill.

• You can often reuse some questions at future events.

Slide Decks

• I keep copies of all the classes and workshops that I teach. (These are also filed by title and group.)

• It is helpful to have a starting point when you’re creating a new class, and sometimes you can reuse some of the slides, handouts, or the content.

• I always brand my slides and handouts with my author logo and website.

Graphics

• I’m sure you’re seeing a pattern here. I keep a folder of graphics that I’ve created for my blog, newsletter, or social media sites. I file these by subject. I use these on the original post and on the socials to market it.

• Studies show that Facebook and Instagram posts that are noticed more have an eye-catching graphic or a video.

• I use BookBrush to create images for my books (especially seasonal ones).

• I use Canva to create images for my website, newsletter, blog, and social media sites.

Story Ideas/Names/Place Names

• I was drowning in little scraps of paper and sticky notes. I jot down ideas wherever I happen to be (and on whatever paper is handy).

• To get organized, I created giant idea spreadsheet. I have different workbooks for each topic, and I can sort them by any of the columns.

• I attend a lot of training and workshops and put my notes of and the source in my idea spreadsheet. I also add the contact information if the subject matter expert offered to answer questions after the training.

• I made a spreadsheet for my book promotions that includes bloggers, reporters, book reviewers, bookstagrammers, podcasters, librarians, bookstore contacts, and other bookish events and promotional ideas. Since I write multiple series, I have a workbook for each book in each series. When I start my launch planning, I look at what I did last time and update it with any changes or new ideas.

How do you keep yourself organized? Let me know what works for you.

It's That Time of Year Again...

Every December, I get in my Marie Kondo mode. Out with the old and in with the new. I always dread the cleanup, but it feels good to start the new year with a clean desk (even if it’s only temporary). Here are some of my organizational to-dos that help me get ready for the new year.

• I clean up my desk. It’s not as bad as the picture, but it’s cluttered. I always end up with tons of sticky notes all over the place.

• I put all the contacts in my database and all the appointments on my calendar.

• My photo collection always needs attention. I archive all of the current year’s photos to my external hard drive.

• It’s also time to clean up the email files and my saved documents. Don’t forget to clean out the Sent and Trash, too. The old stuff takes up space.

• And it’s tax time. I always procrastinate on the task of pulling all the tax information together. I set up files for the current year and close out the old one.

And if I’m still in an organizing mode, I might get around to the closets. (Or maybe not)

Happy New Year. I hope you have a safe and productive year.

What are you planning to do to get ready for 2024?

Once a Month Tasks for Writers

There are so many tasky things that we almost never get around to until they become big things later. I try to pick a day or two each month and go down my list of adminy tasks, so they don’t turn into a big, hairy beast later.

Here’s my check list to help keep me organized.

1. Make sure all your mileage, tolls, and expenses are recorded.

2. File all receipts for next year’s taxes.

3. Clean off the excess photos on my phone and laptop.

4. Check the analytics on my key social media sites to see what posts are working. Look for times that are good for my audience.

5. Look at your website. Does the content need refreshing? Check to make sure all the links (especially the contact me and your newsletter sign up) are working.

6. Update your author biography. Check your biography on your website and other sites to ensure it is current. Is your book list current? Don’t forget BookBub, Goodreads, Amazon,…

7. Look at your marketing plan and make sure you have all of the deadlines and due dates on your calendar.

8. Spend some time on your key social media sites adding followers.

9. Make sure your calendar has all deadlines, events, and important dates including due dates to your editor and publisher.

10. Think about creating files to help you get organized. I have one biography file with the book links and social media links. This gives me one place to go to get the most current information quickly.

The more time you can save on routine tasks, the more writing time you’ll have.

My Great Big Spreadsheet of Ideas - Tips for Writers

I get ideas everywhere. A funny story, a cool name, an interesting place to hide a body, a movie to watch, or a book to read…I had little pieces of paper and Post-it notes everywhere, and it was difficult to keep all the information in one place. I finally consolidated them into a spreadsheet. One column defines what it is (e.g. story idea, cool name, fun location, etc.) Then I have a short description or a link to remind me of what it was or who told me about it. If I see an interesting news article, I save it. Who knows, it may be good material later. By tagging each entry, I can sort it in multiple ways to see what I’m looking for.

When I get ready to start a story or novel, I cruise through my spreadsheet. I also mark the entry if I’ve used it before. What started out as twenty notes is now a spreadsheet with hundreds of lines. I have interesting poisons, funny quotes, descriptions of interesting people, or whatever catches my attention that I want to remember. My desk is much neater now, too. There aren’t twenty Post-its stuck to it and my monitor.

I have a big, giant promotional spreadsheet, too. It has a tab for every kind of promotion or marketing effort that I’ve done in the past. I collect contacts and recommendations and add them to the tab. Then, when I’m ready to start planning a book launch, I have a starting point. I have tabs for everything from blogs and podcasts to Facebook parties and reviewers.

I had to get organized. My writing time is limited, and I couldn’t spend it searching for things I wrote somewhere.

How do you organize your ideas or bits of information?

Me and My Post-it Notes

I love office supplies. I get excited every summer when the school supplies come out. And besides gel pens, sticky notes are probably my favorite. I use Post-it notes for everything. I’m an 80s girl, and that’s when my addiction to these sticky notes started. I love the neon-colored ones. The ones with little sayings are fun, too.

The adhesive was invented by Spencer Silver in 1968 at 3M, and the actual notes were invented by Arthur Fry in 1974 because he needed bookmarks for his hymnal at choir practice. When he used scraps of paper, they would fall out of the book. He needed something to stick to the page, but not damage the paper. He knew of Silver’s invention and tried it on some of the scrap paper in the lab. (Legend has it that the original Post-its were yellow because that was the color of the lab’s scrap paper.)

Here are my favorite uses. What would you add to my list?

• A handy bookmark

• Sticky tabs for reports and documents that need review/signature

• For plotting mysteries - You can move them around on a wall or white board

• For jotting notes (duh!) - I have them stuck to my monitor, laptop, desk, and refrigerator - I even stick them to the dashboard of my car when I really need to remember something. (My purse is always full of balled up notes/lists.)

• Keeping character traits organized when I’m writing

• I like the Post-it flipcharts when I’m brainstorming or facilitating meetings

• Lists (usually for shopping, but they could be honey-do lists)

• I daisy chain them together when stuff is related and I need more space to write

• Tally sheets to keep a running total of my WIP’s word count

• I mark issues or plot holes in my writing with them. It reminds me to tie up loose ends.

• Marking stopping points in editing/writing projects - It helps me pick up where I left off

An End of the Year Checklist for Writers

It’s the end of the year again, and I’m not quite sure how that happened. I love this time of year with the holidays and activities, but I always feel I’m running 100 mph to keep up.

Here’s my end of year checklist I put together to keep up with my writing life.

• Make sure you have copies of all receipts and tax documents. It’ll make tax season easier.

• Go through all of your pictures from the past year and archive the old ones. I use an external hard drive for storage and to remove the clutter from my phone, PC, and tablet.

• Make sure that you back up all of your important files regularly. Don’t accidentally lose your work. It will make you cry.

• Most of my writing groups’ dues are due in December. I go ahead and pay them to make sure I’m current for next year. (Save all receipts.)

• Look at your goals for the past year. Did you have successes? Make your list for the new year.

• I go through all my TBR (To Be Read) piles. I have a book shelf in my office, a pile on my nightstand, and one in the living room. I end up with a lot of books. What I don’t plan to keep, I share with my local libraries.

• Clean off your desk. It’s a magnet for clutter and things you don’t need.

• Get your calendar for 2020 organized.

• Clean off your computer. Archive any old files that you don’t need.

• Celebrate your successes, wins, and accomplishments from the past year.

Ideas - How to Keep Them Organized!

I have way more ideas for stories and characters than I can use at any one time. I used to jot them down on paper or sticky notes. I’d clip articles out of newspapers and magazines, so I had folders of ideas. But it became unruly quickly. Here’s how I keep it all organized and usable.

Electronic Links and Pictures: If it’s a picture, web page, or blog post, I have Pinterest boards to organize ideas. For example, I was researching vintage trailers and tiny houses for a WIP, so I built a Pinterest boards to keep my information in one place.

Single Spreadsheet: I finally created a single spreadsheet for all of the hundreds of sticky notes that were cluttering up my life. I created a column to tag each idea (e.g. character name, dialogue sample, story idea, etc.). That allows me to sort by the category when I’m looking for something specific. I also add notes if I’ve used the idea. I may still jot things on sticky notes or paper, but they now get transferred to the spreadsheet.

Web Favorites: If you mark favorites in your browser for websites, you may want to export it from time to time to ensure that you have a backup in case of a crash or device failure. (In Internet Explorer, locate your “Add to Favorites” button. Click the down arrow and select Import and Export. Follow the screens to export your favorites to a file.)

Character and Place Name Table: I also build a Word table for each series I write. Each book gets a column. I put basic information about each character and location. I track which books these appear in. When I’m done, I sort my list alphabetically, so I can make sure that I’m not reusing names or naming characters with similar names. This helps me keep the character details consistent in each book.

What other ideas would you add?

Getting it Together - Organizational Tips for Writers

How do you keep your writing projects organized? When you don't tame the details, chaos takes over (and I end up with way too many sticky notes stuck to my desk).

Writing/Book Details

1. I keep a Word table for each series I write. The first column contains all the characters and locations. Then the other columns represent books in the series. This helps me keep the details about each organized. I can also see if I overuse character names. And I can track which books characters appear in.

2. I create a Word document with blurb, synopsis, book links, and author biography for each book or anthology that I'm a part of. I make sure my website, press kit, and social media sites are updated with the new information. This document becomes my reference when someone wants the ISBN, number of pages, etc. 

3. I also keep a spreadsheet of ideas (e.g. character names, crimes, or cool locations). I can sort by the columns. And I know I have one place to go when I want to look up something. (Before, there were hundreds of sticky notes.)

Emails and Contacts

1. I create a subfolder in my email software for events, promotion, and business. I keep all critical emails in these folders for reference. I also make sure that receipts go immediately to the tax folder.

2. When I get someone's contact information, I write down when and where I met them. I try to transfer phone or business card contacts to my email contact list when I get them. 

3. Back up your email and phone contacts regularly. I'd be lost if I couldn't access them.

Social Media

1. My social media feeds are clogged with all kinds of posts, and I don't always see what I'm interested in. I make friend lists in Facebook and lists in Twitter. This help me to see a customized newsfeed of what I'm looking for.

Prizes and Book Swag

1. I have a section in my storage area for give-aways and swag. You never know when you need a prize or a gift. I can put together a nice swag bag in a matter of minutes.

2. I have notecards with my book covers on one side. I use these when I write thank you notes.

3. I keep a bag packed with pens, bookmarks, and books. It's all ready. I just need to grab it for the next event.

What else would you add to my list?