Posts tagged Organizing for Writers
Writing through Chaos
1
“Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!” And I thought my life was already complicated. How can we keep our writing schedule through the chaos that’s coming our way this holiday season?
First, we need to understand the meaning of the word “chaos.” On Dictionary.com, I found the following three meanings:
- A state of utter confusion or disorder; a total lack of organization or order.
- Any confused, disorderly mass.
- The infinity of space or formless matter supposed to have preceded the existence of the ordered universe.
Next, we need to figure out how to deal with it. Our options are:
- Function in spite of the chaos, which I think I’ve been doing fairly well. I compose articles in my head while driving, and I’ve been on the road a lot lately. Once I get a chance to sit down and key it in, the words just flow. When I can, I make a few notes in the small journal I carry with me.
- Establish order in place of the chaos. My boss once introduced me as “Ms. Organization.” For things to get disorganized on my watch, the situation must be pretty bad. That’s why the very thought of chaos is negative to me. Looking at the second meaning of “chaos,” I realize that chaos is not all bad. It creates opportunity. Consider the chaos (void) before creation. God saw that His world was “formless and empty.” From that emptiness (chaos), God created all life, the entire natural order, as we know it today. We are made in God’s image; therefore, we have the ability to bring order out of chaos, to create something from nothing.
From now until it is time to “cook the goose,” let’s not let the chaos overpower us. Let’s be open to new ideas and opportunities that the chaos might bring.
Readers, how to you keep writing through the chaos in your life? Share your ideas by commenting on this post.
More Information:
Chaos Theory in Writing by Meredith Allen Conner
Book Giveaway: The Time of Your Life
2
Last month, at Kentucky Christian Writers Conference, I led a workshop on getting organized. I recommended Mark Porter’s The Time of Your Life: How to Accomplish All that God Wants You to Do. The book is meant for Christians seeking to integrate their work with their spiritual life, and I highly recommend it to Christian writers.
A review of The Time of Your Life is on Blog4writers here. In the Getting Organized posts, I mentioned some of the concepts in the book. See those posts here. (more…)
Get Organized: Your Writing Place
1
How can anything about your writing be organized if you don’t have a place to write? A place to store your records and resources? Today, I’m sharing with you how I’ve organized my writing space.
Ten years ago, when I first started writing for publication, I set up my computer and file cabinet in an unused upstairs bedroom. I could hide out in there and work undisturbed. However, it was too inconvenient to the rest of the house. I had to go downstairs frequently for breaks, household chores, and just plain interruptions.
Finally, I bought a desk for our den, thinking I could work on the computer and not be far from my other responsibilities while writing. The biggest challenge with this plan was where to put supplies and reference materials. I still wanted the room to be a den, but I needed to have handy storage. (more…)
Spring Cleaning for Writers
1
Yes, it’s that time of year. Time to clean the debris out of the writing cave and bring in some fresh material. Time to dust off your writing aspirations and get busy making them happen.
Here’s my spring cleaning plan.
- Organize files (both computer and hard-copy). Dispose of duplicates and out-dated material.
- Clean equipment. See Computer Hope site for detailed how-to on computer cleaning.
- Make sure all files on the computer are backed up. See my post on backup methods here.
- Inventory supplies and equipment. Make a shopping list and a wish list.
- Look for fresh ideas. Spend some time reading old journals and/or writing projects you put aside long ago. Move the ones that interest you to your active file.
- Inventory writing books and magazines. Sell or give away those that you have not looked at in more than a year. I know. This is hard.
Don’t even try to do all this at once. You may feel overwhelmed and give up. Give yourself a week or even a month to finish the job. (more…)
