First time to be organized!

The white board, calendar page and sticky notes
that have changed my life as a writer.

I am so happy to report that I have passed a major milestone in my writing projects. I have been organized for nearly a month!

I write for four publications: Image magazine, Quirky Cultivator (my blog), Zone 9 Garden (someone else's blog) and a novel I've finally started.

Aside from writing  several stories a day as a newspaper reporter, I have never had so much writing to do in such a short period of time. In my present role as a free-lance writer, I have to regulate my time or I basically go nutso. So as you can imagine, it is essential for me to stick to a schedule.

In an emergency meeting with my logical side a few weeks ago, I came up with a system that enabled me to get all my magazine articles turned in at least a week early. For me, that's unheard of.

Anyone who knows me as the free spirit that I am will know that being this organized is a major feat for me.  This organizational system involves a white board, a large calendar page, and sticky notes of various sizes. Each sticky note denotes a particular appointment or deadline.

One reason I'm writing so much is so that I will keep my writing muscles in shape -- for my novel. I joined a writers' critique group so I would have to write chapters. I have never written book chapters before and for that reason it scares me to death. Fear of the unknown? Probably.

And while I've not met my goal of writing the six chapters I had planned to write by this time, I consider even writing two as a major milestone. I had to email them to the group over the weekend so they would have time to critique those first 2,500 words and share corrections and such with me tomorrow night. I don't mind telling you that I am nervous.

But it's something I'll just have to get over, as I have gotten over procrastination. Wish me luck. - QC Karen