Keep Your Writing Organized with these 5 Tips

One of the most common complaints I hear from writers is, “I don’t know how to keep my writing organized. I have all these great ideas, usually at the most inopportune times, and I don’t know how to keep track of them.” Or, “I have a zillion ideas bouncing through my brain until I sit down to write. And then nothing.” Or, “I freeze when it comes time to revise. I have no idea how to keep track of all those changes.”

If you can relate to this feeling, you’ll love today’s tips to help keep your writing organized.

Keep your workspace organized.

I know this is easier said than done.

We’ve all seen images of the messy author’s office. Stray papers covering every space. Piles of books teetering precariously on tables and chairs. Coffee mugs and takeout containers littered throughout the room. Perhaps you even aspire to that level of chaos. When you are deep in the middle of your story and the words are flowing like water, you may even feel like you don’t have time to tidy up.

But all that clutter is actually killing your productivity. When you are surrounded by chaos all those things are competing for your attention. And even if you aren’t consciously thinking about them your subconscious is worried about dealing with the mess. From a practical standpoint, working in a messy room wastes time and makes it hard to find what you need, whether that’s page 217, your favorite book on craft,m or your lucky green pen. And working amidst a mess actually makes your brain tired.

If you want to keep your writing organized, you need to keep your writing space organized. Try to keep just the two or three resources that you use most often within arms reach. Stash everything else out of the way on the bookshelf or in another room. Put those papers in folders. Or better yet, don’t print them until you are ready to review your entire manuscript. Throw away the trash. Taking just a few minutes at the end of each day to clean up your space will help keep your brain fresh and your writing organized.

Try a Trello board to keep writing ideas organized.

Have you tried using Trello to keep your writing organized? It’s one of my favorite writing tools.

Trello is an online productivity tool. It reminds me of a digital version of post-it notes that you can drag and drop on your screen. YOu can use Trello to collaborate with others so it’s great for project management. It also allows you to capture documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, pictures, presentations, links, and more. An d it’s compatible with your hard drive, Google Drive, Dropbox, and OneDrive.

I love to use Trello to storyboard my novels. I use the free version, by the way. I create a new board for each book. Then I create lists for the different aspects of my novel. I always make a list for characters and then a card for each individual character. Sometimes I divide the book into Beginning, Middle, and End. Sometimes I do it by chapters. There is no one right way to organzie you novel on Trello, so pick a way that makes sense to you. Any method you choose will help keep your writing organized.

Use a notebook to track changes.

As much as I like using online tools to keep my story organized, I prefer old-school paper and Flair pens to keep track of changes in my manuscript.

The key to keeping my writing organized during revisions is making a list. When I sit down to read through a draft I always keep a notebook handy. As I notice inconsistencies or sections I want to change I jot a note, chapter, page number, and a brief description. By the time I’m finished reading I have a long list, usually several pages, of scenes or characters I need to revise or reconsider. This practice keeps my writing organized because it ensures I don’t forget or miss areas that need clarification.

It also helps the revision process go faster. I don’t stop reading every time I encounter a problem. I just hot a note and keep going.

Another way that I keep my writing organized is that I don’t make any changes until I have completed the manuscript. This prevents me from making unnecessary changes or from revising the same section three times during one read-through.

Try the notes app on your phone.

Don’t ask me how many notes I currently have on my phone. There are a lot.

But the Notes app is my favorite way to record ideas on the go. If I’m walking or driving or running or just comes across something that I think could work for my book, I simply drop it in the Notes app. It’s convenient, searchable, and easy to access later. Rather than having ideas in a bunch of random places, using one app to store notes keeps my writing organized.

Use a spreadsheet to track word count.

At the start of every project, I like to set a deadline for finishing it. Having a goal keeps me honest and motivated. If I know I have to be done by a certain date I dedicate time each day to tackle the project and I am a lot more productive.

This is true for most people. A task that can be done anytime is often done never. That’s why projects like NaNoWriMo and 100 Day Book projects are so popular. People like having a defined time for their tasks. It’s also a reason that book coaches are so helpful. I can help you set and stick to those deadlines.

The best way to ensure you reach your goal is to set daily goals to help you get there. And in writing, the easiest way to measure progress is word count. (It’s not the only way, and I often work with coaching clients to add other parameters for success). I like to set an overall word count goal for my project. If you are unsure of what your total word count should be, you can check out the average recommended lengths for various genres. Then figure out how long you are going to take to achieve your goal. In NaNoWriMo this is easy. It’s 30 days to write 50,000 words. This breaks down to 1667 words per day.

The key to staying n track and a great way to keep your writing organized is to track how many words you write each day in a spreadsheet. I don’t do anything ffancy. I just use a simple Google Sheet and create three columns: date, daily word count, +/-. In the first column, I record the date, in the second how many words I wrote that day, and in the third, I record how many words I am over or under my cumulative goal. I record positive numbers in green and negative numbers in red. I also keep a running total of the total number of words written at the bottom of the daily word count column.

This simple task helps me stay organized. I know exactly how I am progressing toward my goals. I know when I need to set aside extra time to write. And as someone who often takes a while to get to the point, I know when I have to move the story along. If my green count gets too high it means I’m giving way too much detail or going off on a tangent.

Happy writing!