Tag: #stayontrack

Writing

Tip #4 for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

July 10, 2018

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In this final of 4 blog posts with tips for keeping on track with your writing, I want to tell you about the many free database programs available to keep all your book files in a central location. Many businesses use these database and project management programs for team collaboration and monitoring the numerous projects they have going. Well, we freelancers can use many of these programs as well, even if we don’t employ other people. Some of us go solo during the writing process, but others of us have teams that consist of critique partners, agents, and fellow writers who assist with the process. I was introduced to Basecamp by a client of mine, a very large company that does business in all 50 states. It has many employees and, as you can imagine, multiple departments that handle different kinds of projects. I began using the free edition of Basecamp and then upgraded so I could use it to work on more than one book at a time. In fact, when I co-wrote a mystery novel with another write last year, we used Basecamp to keep all our stuff organized. Herb had separate folders where he uploaded his chapters and research, as I did, but we each had access to the folders. (If you didn’t want to give access to someone, you can do that, too.) We also created a folder where we could upload photos. He lives on the west coast and I live in New England, and…

Writing

Tip #3 for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

July 5, 2018

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In this third of four posts about how to stay on track with your writing, I’ll be discussing Tip #3: Using Multiple Notebooks in Microsoft’s OneNote. I use OneNote to keep at my fingertips all those things I used to find myself flipping through pages of manuscript to find because I knew they were in there but just couldn’t find them. The best thing about OneNote is that it not only works like a regular notebook, with separate sections and pages, it also permits me to color code everything and insert photos and hyperlinks right from the Internet. I can organize as loosely or as precisely as I want to. For example, in my Writing Tips notebook I use 5 major sections, and two Section Groups titled Characterization and Plot. Figure 1 shows what the hierarchy looks like when the notebook opens. As you can see in Figure 2, the Characterization Section Group contains notebook sections, and each section of a notebook has color-coded tabs lined horizontally, with individuals page listed on the left. It’s pretty straightforward. In Figure 3, the Plot Section Group contains its own horizontal color-coded sections, with pages listed on the left. When you use the power of OneNote in conjunction with writing your novel, it expands your ability to stay organized. Figure 4 shows what the hierarchy of the notebook for my current WIP looks like. As you can see, I created a Section Group for all my research and the business documents associated with…

Writing

Tip #2 for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

July 2, 2018

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In my last blog post, I talked about Tip # 1, Customer styles and themes in Microsoft Word. In this post, I’m sharing Tip #2: A Custom Chapter-by-Chapter template for outlining both what I plan to write in future chapters/scenes … and what I’ve actually written. I don’t know how it goes with you, but my plans always sound terrific. And some of them actually turn out that way. But quite often, I change plans in the middle of a story because I stumble over a flaw in my plot, I note an inconsistency in the character’s personality, or I dream up a much better idea. None of these things are a big deal if the change occurs in the present or future, but it’s a big PIA if I need to backtrack. I use a Microsoft Word document that includes a separate table for each chapter. The table is divided into two columns that contain the following information: Left Column The date and day of the week. I also keep a separate calendar document into which I insert each chapter and scene number to make the process of backtracking easier if and when I have to do it. Bullet points for each of the goals I want to accomplish in the chapter (e.g., reveal more of the POV character’s background through subplot, show what drives her, show her personal stake in the outcome of her relationship with Character B, introduce new obstacle). Right Column Separate rows for each scene…

Writing

First of 4 Tips for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

June 26, 2018

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I’m not a pantser. I don’t have to plot out every single scene before I write, either, but I like to have a framework within which to operate. After years of writing millions of pages of insurance textbooks, countless newspaper and magazine articles, and hundreds of book chapters I’ve settled on a process that keeps me organized. It also allows me more time to write without having to backtrack. Here are the ingredients to my recipe for keeping on track: Tip #1: Custom Styles and Themes in Microsoft Word Tip #2: Custom Chapter-by-Chapter template for outlining both what I plan to write in future chapters/scenes … and what I’ve actually written Tip #3: Creating multiple notebooks in Microsoft OneNote to keep at my fingerprints everything I need for my current work in progress Tip #4: Freedcamp (or any other data management software) In this post, I’ll discuss ingredient #1 by sharing how I use custom themes and styles to make the writing process easier and more consistent from document to document. In the next three blog posts, I’ll tackle ingredients #2 through #4. Tip #1: Custom Styles and Themes in Word Every publisher likes to receive documents in its own preferred format. When you find yourself formatting every single document you create, it’s time to come up with a method to quickly create a document that contains the majority of the formatting elements you’ll need … and for it to be available consistently in the future. Because the bulk of…

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Linda McHenry

Tag: #stayontrack

Tip #4 for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

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Tip #3 for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

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Tip #2 for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

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First of 4 Tips for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

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Tag: #stayontrack

Tip #4 for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

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Tip #3 for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

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Tip #2 for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

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First of 4 Tips for Keeping on Track with Your Writing

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