Getting organized
I’m generally a pretty organized person. I keep a calendar in the kitchen with all important dates and appointments on it. I have a pocket PC, too, and that has my address book and a similar schedule. When it comes to my writing…not so much. 
It isn’t the actual writing that’s the problem, it’s remembering what needs to be done, what order it needs to be done in, and who it needs to go to. My writing files on my computer are pretty organized, but my to do list is not.
My previous method for keeping track of what needed to be done was to use sticky notes. Bright colored ones stuck around the edge of my monitor. I found two problems with that system. One, the notes kept falling off. Two, it was really easy to ignore them, especially when the first problem happened.
Yesterday I got a dry erase board and stuck it up on the wall in my office. Right next to my monitor. Where I have no choice but to look at it every minute I’m sitting at the desk. Now my to do list is in big, black letters I can’t miss and it’s an actual list rather than a pile of little papers…and things are getting done on time. 
What do you do to keep yourself organized?
I usually set a line for what I want to accomplish, it doesn’t always work but it helps move my writing along. Lately I dedicated most of my time to promoting my work, so my writing has gone of to the side but that’s about to change.
Whenever I’m writing a book I open a new file on my computer for the manuscript and another one for the manuscript’s journal. The journal is the place where I write my ideas, comments about the work I’m doing and where I think the story or work is going. I got this idea from John Steinbeck when I read his book, Journal of a Novel. It helps me tremendously to begin writing that way and I need to get back to work here. Good luck to all of you.
Clary Lopez
http://clarylopez.com
http://clary.wordpress.com
I love the journal idea, Clary. I’m going to have to try that. Thanks for sharing!