It's not every day that I can say, "I haven't done anything anywhere because I'm having success with the writing." OK, I have went to my day job but that doesn't count. Ive spent the last week trying to get a Timeline worked out from the story. Notes everywhere, print outs everywhere, and notebooks stacked on top of each other. Plus three programs to start, organize, edit, and print scenes, ideas, and notes that Ive made edits to.
I do appreciate the days when all a writer had was a 50 pound typewriter, a stack of white paper, and a waste basket. If I try to go back further with only having pen and paper, well, it wouldn't be pretty. At least, not my writing.
I keep thinking I have a great system going. Until I find more notes and scenes stuck somewhere in the crannies of my laptop, notebooks that were forgotten under the bed or in a deep drawer and/or notes on tiny scraps of paper from work. Then my system is blown because I enter the note/scene in Scrivener, date it, and mark it "needs its appropriate home", and then forget about it until there's dozens of them.
I started a physical filing system. (my gerbils giggle at me for this attempt as they know it will only frustrate me in the end). Instead of separating by scenes, I've been separating by characters and anything they have to do with the story. Yes, sometimes there are cross overs but, I figured the character who has the strongest POV in the scene gets the paper in their file. And Yes in afterthought, now that I have a significant amount of story built up, this system isn't working anymore. With some Notes that have gone unfinished (I have Q and A Notes folder to work out holes, possibilities etc), I have piled up way to much time killer and not enough writing time.
So, the moral of the blog today: Do not put off thy story questions for more than a day. Or thee will be screwed for days trying to catch up.
I do appreciate the days when all a writer had was a 50 pound typewriter, a stack of white paper, and a waste basket. If I try to go back further with only having pen and paper, well, it wouldn't be pretty. At least, not my writing.
I keep thinking I have a great system going. Until I find more notes and scenes stuck somewhere in the crannies of my laptop, notebooks that were forgotten under the bed or in a deep drawer and/or notes on tiny scraps of paper from work. Then my system is blown because I enter the note/scene in Scrivener, date it, and mark it "needs its appropriate home", and then forget about it until there's dozens of them.
I started a physical filing system. (my gerbils giggle at me for this attempt as they know it will only frustrate me in the end). Instead of separating by scenes, I've been separating by characters and anything they have to do with the story. Yes, sometimes there are cross overs but, I figured the character who has the strongest POV in the scene gets the paper in their file. And Yes in afterthought, now that I have a significant amount of story built up, this system isn't working anymore. With some Notes that have gone unfinished (I have Q and A Notes folder to work out holes, possibilities etc), I have piled up way to much time killer and not enough writing time.
So, the moral of the blog today: Do not put off thy story questions for more than a day. Or thee will be screwed for days trying to catch up.