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?

Kanban: An Idea for Organizing Your Work

Kanban is a methodology that focuses on continuous improvement and task management. It’s often used in technology as part of Agile development and also in manufacturing. It was originally developed as part of Toyota’s TPS (Toyota Production System).

It’s a board and a process of organizing and prioritizing your tasks. To learn more about its history and the methodology, check out this link. The goal is to move your tasks through the process to completion. There are lots of electronic Kanban boards that you can track your work. You can also create one on a whiteboard, in a spreadsheet, or on a poster for your wall. When we started, we used a long piece of craft paper. We added columns and used sticky notes to represent our tasks.

The column titles vary slightly, but the idea is to finish items you start before you start something else. When you add tasks to the “wish list” or backlog, you prioritize them according to importance or deadlines. The graphic above has “Ideas,” “To Do,” Doing,” and “Done” as the headers. I usually use “Backlog” for ideas, “Planning,” “In-Progress,” and “Done.” In my IT world, my team does Quality Assurance Testing, so we often have another column under “In-Progress” for Testing.

Each day or every few days, the teams meet for a short stand-up and update their progress. Writing is often not a team-sport, but you can still use the methodology to track your open and in-progress work. The electronic Kanban boards often provide metrics on how long it takes for you to do tasks. This is good for repeatable tasks. It should give you an idea of how long it will take next time, based on past history.

I like the organization that these boards provide. When you’re working on an IT project or software development, there are thousands of little tasks that are key, and you need to keep them in the right order because many have dependent tasks. (It sounds a lot like resarching, writing, editing, and marketing a book.)

Check it out. You don’t have to go crazy with buying an application. You can create a Kanban board in Excel or a Word table or on a large piece of paper. I like using sticky notes because you can easily move them from column to column. And there’s a great sense of accomplishment with that “Done” column is full.

Daunting Tasks - Tips for Writers

We all have tasks that cause us to procrastinate. For me, editing is the hardest writing task. I have to figure out ways to keep myself motivated and focused. It never fails. I’m supposed to be updating a manuscript with edits, and then I’m off watching llama or cute dog videos. Here are some ideas when for those pesky, daunting tasks.

• Break huge, hairy tasks into smaller chunks. That way, you can see progress when you finish the smaller milestones.

• Reward yourself when you finish. I take a social media break after five chapters of editing. I get to switch gears for a minute, but I know that I’m also working on what I’m supposed to.

• Make lists and prioritize items that need to be done first. That way, you can schedule things that don’t have to be done right away. It doesn’t feel as daunting when you realize everything doesn’t have to be done right away.

• When I’m doing my not-so-favorite tasks, I make sure that I’m super comfy…warm socks, favorite pen, awesome playlist, and my favorite drink.

• If I don’t pay attention, paper, sticky notes, and copies of things pile up on my desk. I try to keep the loose paper under control weekly. If I don’t, then there’s a mountain of clutter which becomes its own challenge.

• Try to make a schedule for things you need to do on a routine basis (e.g. updating your website, checking your social media sites, answering emails, etc.) If you know you have a timeslot for that work, it becomes part of your normal routine. And like the mounds of paper, it’s much easier to tackle a little at a time.

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.

Happy New Year! Do You Make New Year's Resolutions? Ideas for Writers.

Happy New Year! Do you make New Year’s Resolutions? A brand new year always a good time to look at your goals and the things you want to do in the upcoming year.

Here are some ideas to add to your list.

1. Read more. Sign up for GoodRead’s Reading Challenge. This helps me track what I’m reading throughout the year. It also reminds me to post a review.

2. Be kind. Look for ways to share with others. It may be a small gesture, but it means something to someone else, especially during these crazy times.

3. File and Shred. Clean up the piles of papers, receipts, and other stuff that accumulates on your desk. Get rid of what you don’t need. Put what you do need in its place. This is a good time to pull all of your tax files togehter.

4. Clean up your eFiles. Go through your pictures and files. Make sure that you’re backing up important things. Organize your electronic files.

5. Update Your Website. Look at your website and refresh outdated items.

6. Grow Your Following. Commit to spending some amount of time each week to your key social media platforms. Make sure that you are sharing, commenting, and building your audience.

7. Visit your Social Media Bios. Make sure that all of your author photos and social media bios are current.

8. Learn Something New. Find a way to learn how to do something new. This is going to be at the top of my 2021 list.

9. Protect Yourself. Make sure that you’re backing up your important files regularly. Make sure that you have security software on your computer and that your patches are current. And don’t click on links that you don’t know where they came from.

10. Look for Ways to Connect. During this crazy time, make sure that you’re talking, visiting, and sharing with others. Find a group and try to participate regularly. If you can’t find a group, create one.

11. Up and Out. Clean out your closets and junk drawers. If you haven’t used stuff in two years, it can probably go. Look for local charities that take donations of your old items.

12. Just Do It. Do that thing that has been on your task list forever.

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