To paraphrase an old Go-Gos song, “I am a boy of a hundred lists.” I’ve got them for just about everything, whether written on a notepad or just filed away in my head. Lists can be your best friend or your worst enemy, depending on how and whether you organize them, but there’s no question that when it comes to writing full time, you’ve got to have them.
As an author, your lists can cover an array of topics. Aside from the obvious lists of books and book ideas, character profiles, research materials etc. used in the actual writing process, you may also consider keeping lists of author/writing events you’ll be attending along with any relevant information, and if you’re doing writing as a full time business, you’ll also want to keep tabs on sales you make (whether in person or online), your customers, and your book stock.
But how do you keep all these lists organized? Well, there are several ways of doing that. Personally, I prefer to use different notepads for different purposes (i.e. one for personal and professional goals, one for sales and stock, and another for miscellaneous items and ideas. Make sure to label them if you do this, and maybe choose different colors for each one besides.
Of course, you can make lists electronically as well, and for some this may be preferable to having a bunch of physical items that can get lost or shuffled around. But personally, I prefer to actually write my lists out, just as I prefer to hand write my first drafts. It just feels better, and some suggest that writing something down helps you memorize it better (hence the purpose of taking notes in school).
Lists can be your best friends, and help you save time and even money if utilized fully. And take it from someone who has tried to keep track of everyrhing in my head at times, they really do save a lot of stress when you can’t remember something, but have that handy little piece of paper to jog your memory and remind you of that brilliant idea you came up with a couple days or even months ago.
I hope you found this at least somewhat helpful. If you liked it, be sure to subscribe to this weblog for more such content in future (I plan to be much more frequent with postings henceforth). In the meantime, I hope to see some of you at the Luck & Laughter Vendor Event this Saturday. Until next week!
Wonderful ♥️