Armed with a labeler and I’m not afraid to use it (Melissa Robbins)

   Organization is key with writing.  How would you keep it all straight?  Plot, characters, research.  It’s a good thing I like office supply stores more than one person should, but here are just some of the examples I found useful in my writing endeavors.

Notebooks – Go find the prettiest notebooks you can find or buy up a bunch during back to school sales in the summer.  Here is my collection of notebooks.  I’ve labeled each one with my handy dandy labeler.  Character information fills some.  Other notebooks contain research material, which brings me to number two.

Notebook Tabs – The same tab organizers I used in school for my different subjects help keep my information straight.  My teachers would be so proud.  These tab dividers separate RAF research, like planes,  aerodromes and 40’s fashions, etc. 


  Leather Notebooks – I once saw on an author’s blog how she used handcrafted leather notebooks to keep notes, story ideas, pictures, etc. straight.  Who wouldn’t be inspired by a beautiful notebook?  I made the two books on the left myself using supplies from Hobby Lobby.  The paper is thick sketch paper great for pens and markers.  I fill mine with scene and story ideas, sketches of my characters, locations, character information. They are easier to transport than my larger notebooks.  If you don’t want to make a notebook, Barnes and Noble has some beautiful ones.

Spreadsheets – Where would I be without my Excel spreadsheets?  Probably still combing through pages of my stories searching for George’s eye color.  With so many pilots and other characters running through my aerodromes and cities, spreadsheets allow me to keep track of all of them in one place.  Spreadsheets also aid me in corralling all the agendas.  In a mystery, everyone has secrets, but which character is willing to kill to keep that secret quiet?  My heroine may not know what’s going on behind the scenes, but I need to know. 


That’s just some of the tools I use to organize my writing.  What works for you?

1 comments:

Angela Hood-Ross said...

I love the idea of making your own leather notebook. I've priced so many and they can be a little expensive. Hobby Lobby is one of my favorite stores and I definitely plan to take your advice on creating my own notebooks. Thank you so much.