Organizing a Writing Calendar

This is still not the original blog I wanted to do tonight.  I haven't gone through my massive pile of books yet, as life has gotten in the way time-wise.  (I covered that in my last post, did I not?)  As such, tonight, we'll just have a quickie post, as this writer has actually got to get some writing done.  Tonight, I'm going to talk to you about something that has always been immensely helpful to me, in any form its taken over the years--a writing calendar.

Birthday gift made of awesomeness

My calendars take either one of two forms: a Word chart or my "everything" notebook as pictured above.  And, honestly, there's very little difference between the two, save for one being typed and the other being handwritten.  Well... there's a touch more of a difference.  First, though, let me cover what a writing calendar even is.  Simply put, it's my list of writing projects coupled with dates they need to be completed by.  It doesn't sound like that big of a deal, but, guys, you have no idea how much it helps.  It makes something that can be fairly abstract become very concrete, which also serves the purpose of making it feel more attainable. 

There's no hard and fast rule about how to set one up either.  Whatever works for you.  When I do one on Word--which is usually a collection more of short story deadlines than a collection of all my writing projects--I usually include the publisher's name, a little section describing the publisher's requirements, a box that I mark whether I actually submitted anything or not, the date it's due, and what it pays.  And it's made just using the table function standard on any Word doc.  My written one is just a touch different.

Please excuse my handwriting

My written one much more on a list format.  Also, it's more under my control, rather than some publisher's.  On it, I simply take into account all the things I want to accomplish within a certain period of time--like, say, quarterly for the year.  Then, using what I know about when each finished product is due, I organize it all into dates I want things done.  Some things on this list will be items that have no set due date, which is where this version of the writing calendar is more controllable.  I, as of now, have... 3 projects, I believe, with solid dates on them.  However, I have 3 more that I want to work on at least starting before the end of the year.  Now, I have to gather all my data--the solid dates, what each individual project will require of me, real-life obligations--and use it to form my calendar.  While it's as simple as that, it is also quite frustrating, at least for me.  Yes, it gives me more control, but I am a notorious procrastinator.  I am more than aware that these are dates I've given me, and not given to me by someone else.  So, on this list, it's easier for me to be like, "Ehh... we'll scootch this on down later in the month..."  That's something to watch for, as it is something that I have to be aware of.

And that's it for tonight.  Short, sweet, to the point.  I recommend a calendar--which can also include steps in your process, like "have outline done by 15th" or something like that.  It really helps keep you on track and getting stuff done.  Got any other suggestions?  I'd love to hear them.  Until then, see you next Thursday!