Once summer ends, the autumn season brings us into our cozy vibes era. Lit candles, knit sweaters and chai lattes provide the perfect staying-at-home ambience.
But, between school, work and various holidays, it’s hard to keep our writing organized.
Below, I have five strategies to get organized now and keep up your writing routine this fall!
1. Determine the Writing Tools that Work for You
Hemingway Editor, Grammarly, Notion, Scrivener, Google Docs, Evernote, ProWritingAid, Reedsy Studio and so many more digital tools can be useful.
That being said, using too many tools can leave you overloaded and scatterbrained rather than feeling organized.
Try them if you’d like and then narrow down your list to what works for you.
Where will you keep all of your notes?
Where will you write your work in progress?
Which editing or book formatting software feels manageable for you?
The digital and physical tools that you choose should enhance not hinder your productivity.
For myself, I keep my writing organized with a notebook, Google Docs and Grammarly for my first draft journey.
Ideas imagined on the go can be popped onto my Notes app and transferred to my notebook later. That way, I don’t waste time fumbling in search of where I wrote something or deciding which of the plethora of tools to use.
Take some time to explore the various tools now so that when you sit down to write, you can focus on the process with your essentials well at hand.
2. Create Your Note-Taking System
Let’s be honest… writers are never focused on just one story at a time.
Maybe you leap from project to project or you constantly have new ideas, fragments of dialogue and quote-worthy sentences pop into your mind.
We all need a system for capturing these gems before they slip away.
First, designate a single spot to keep notes for a specific project.
If it’s a notebook, only allow one work in progress in that book.
Give each story its own notebook to grow in.
The same goes for any digital tool. Start a fresh document for each story.
For all of those inspirational sparks that have nothing to do with your current WIP, start a separate master list.
Categorize all of those random ideas for easy navigation.
Tags could include: Dialogue Snippets, One Liners, Settings, and Plot Ideas.
You could even have a section for those to-be-written more extensive story ideas that you’re often adding notes to.
The bottom line is don’t overwhelm yourself by brain-dumping all of your ideas in one place.
Organize your note-taking habits now for easy location of ideas later.
3. Organize Your Writing Supplies
Writing on your bed is not an ideal atmosphere for maintaining focus.
Reflect on your home space and consider where you could create a writing corner- a dedicated, consistent work area.
Your space doesn’t need to be large or extravagantly decorated. It could be a small desk in the corner of a room or your kitchen table as a multi-purpose space.
When writing from home, try to build the habit of working in the same spot so that your writer’s brain kicks on once you sit down.
Have a place where you keep all of your tools.
Your notebooks, pens, laptop etc. should have a home in your workspace so that they’re ready to go when you are.
If you’re working with a multipurpose space, consider a shelf, box or bag that can hold your essentials.
If you’re itching for a change of scene to ignite your creativity, an easy grab-and-go writer’s bag can cut in half the amount of time to gather all of your supplies.
This bag should hold pens, paper and any smaller items that you don’t need to drop in at the last minute.
In this way, grabbing your laptop and storing it in the bag is a quick trip to your desk before you’re out the door and onto your writing adventure.
4. Have a Submission Tracking System
For all my writers who are juggling writing a story while querying another, determine how you will track the publishers you’ve queried.
A writer’s greatest joy is to be writing, but we sometimes need to pause for a day or two to organize our submission strategy if we’re serious about getting published.
Before you start your next writing project, research publishing agents and develop a master list of those who specifically state they are interested in the themes or genres that your manuscript aligns with.
DON’T WASTE TIME QUERYING PUBLISHERS WHO AREN’T INTERESTED!
From your master list, you will choose a few agents to query at one time, like 4-8.
If these agents provide you with any specific feedback, you can utilize it to revise your query letter.
You’ll want to develop a tracking method that aligns with your workflow such as a spreadsheet or an app.
Keep detailed records of who you’ve submitted queries to and when.
Determine how long you’ll wait to hear back before querying your next batch.
Set up a reminder to revisit the process when needed.
By keeping track of your queries, you can focus on writing your next story while taking strides toward your publishing dreams.
5. Create an End of Writing Session Routine
When I don’t take the time to clean last night’s dishes, my house and my mind feel cluttered the next day.
Returning to a workspace that is organized and ready to go feels oh-so-good!
Give yourself 5-10 minutes at the end of a writing session to complete an exit routine.
Break your goals into smaller tasks to keep procrastination at bay and clarify your next step.
Ideally, your routine will have two parts: clear off your workspace and plan for your next session.
Clear Your Workspace:
Put all of your items and tools back where they belong.
Whether that’s in a bag, a drawer or just a designated spot on your desk, clear the writing clutter.
The next time you sit down, you’ll be able to start fresh rather than waste valuable time on cleaning.
Plan for Next Time:
At the end of a writing session, you know what tasks you’ve completed and what’s coming up next.
Take a minute to write a to-do list or jot down a note so that when you enter your workspace again, you know where you left off and can dive in.
By completing these two exit tasks, you will ensure that your next writing session is productive.
Bonus Tip
When nearing the end of a creative project, we often need a larger view of what’s coming next.
Quarterly planning is the goal planning strategy of reviewing and breaking down your goals every three months.
All productive routines need a refresh once in a while.
Ensure that you schedule regular times to review and adjust your writing goals and strategies so that they work for you, not against you.
For an in-depth idea of how I use quarterly planning to achieve my writing goals, check out this blog post here.
And, read how at the end of a busy week, a weekly reset can help you to refresh and recharge your writing routine for the week to come!
Get organized now so that you can focus on your creative writing this fall!
To get yourself ready, start with these three tasks:
- Clear your workspace
- Gather your supplies
- Plan a dedicated writing time
By completing these tasks you are on your way to building a writing routine that flows as easily as your cozy autumn vibes.
Now, go forth and write!
Over to you!
What tools or strategies help you keep your writing organized? Share them in the comments below.
Let’s create a comprehensive list to support our fellow writers!
Talk soon!
Julia
This is so helpful! Going to keep this in mind this week as I work on a few projects.
So glad that you find it useful. Good luck with all your projects!
I like the idea of having a workspace, it’s very important to me. I only have a small desk and space in my bedroom, but it’s so important to me when I’m writing. It keeps me organized but also separates the working space from the sleeping space and takes the stress out of the working day.
Thanks for the tips!
So glad you found it helpful! Even with limited space, designating a small spot for focused writing is important.