Getting things done.

I had coffee with a friend last night. She is also a writer, and we were discussing our current projects at one point.

This friend is currently working on a novel and five short films (22 minutes each).

I am working on the second draft of a YA novel, the first draft of a movie, and the first draft of a general fiction novel. I'm also working on a Mass, but that's music and we were talking about literary work, so I didn't mention it.

My friend expressed some wonder at how methodical I am. The fact that I "just do it" when it comes to my writing is, I guess, something that is difficult to understand. The thing is, I had to make a decision about my writing, and I need to get it organized so that I could keep track of my projects and be accountable to myself for getting things done. Since I am primarily writing for myself right now, things are fairly easy to keep straight, and I have no deadlines. This is both a blessing and a curse, because I'm really good at finding other things to occupy my time. (A fellow blogger, Douglas Cootey, recently wrote about this phenomenon.)

Since my friend was so awestruck at the thought of how methodical I am about my writing, I thought it might be beneficial for me to share my method. It could help others who are struggling with the kinds of problems I'm working through.

There are several components to my method:

1. Time Management
2. Document Management
3. Commitment

Time Management
I read a phenomenal book about this last year. It's called Time Management From the Inside Out, and it's by Julie Morgenstern. The principles in this book are simple and easy to put into practice, and it's all about finding a solution that works for you, rather than applying someone else's method to your life and expecting it to work. You really do need to read the book to get the full effect, but I'll summarize what I do here.

1. I categorize my time. I have five categories, and that's it.
   • Janna Time - stuff that's just for me, like showers & baths, reading, watching TV, exercising, etc.
     
   • People Time - stuff that involves other people, like meals with my boyfriend, coffee with friends, parties, church, etc.
     
   • House Time - stuff that is all about maintaining the house, like cleaning, doing dishes, etc.
     
   • Creating Time - stuff that has to do with writing, artwork, music, etc.
     
   • Work Time - stuff like checking my e-mail, working with the few clients I still have, and (once I have one again) my job
     
2. I use my Palm (I have a Z22, nearly three years old) to schedule my time - I do a month at a time and then update weekly as well as daily, depending on what kinds of things might change. Each category is a different colour, so when I look at my day or week, I can see at a glance what's going on. I schedule my time at home as well as appointments and work away from home, and I set alarms for appointments that I have to be on time for. (Long experience tells me that the alarm has to be set for 90 minutes prior to the start of the appointment, as it takes about an hour for me to get out of the house and half an hour to get to my destination by car.) My regular at-home schedule is flexible (except for those appointments), so when things change it isn't a huge crisis for me. (I still don't like having my routines disrupted, but that's going to happen whether or not I want it to, so I have to deal.)
3. I use my Palm to keep a to-do list. This is something I can refer to when necessary, as a reminder of what I need to get done in a day. I may or may not follow it, but I try.
4. I keep my Palm synced with my desktop computer. This lets me check my to-do list on the big screen, change my schedule easily, and still carry things with me when I'm out and about.

Sample Daily Schedule

Time	Activity
7.00 a.m.	Get up, breakfast, toilette (shower, brush teeth, do hair, get dressed)
8.00 a.m.	Dishes, cleaning & tidying
9.00 a.m.	E-mail & blogs
9.15 a.m.	Writing
10.15 a.m.	Snack, cleaning & tidying
10.45 a.m.	E-mail & blogs
11.00 a.m.	Writing
12.00 p.m.	Walk/exercise
12.30 p.m.	Lunch, dishes
1.00 p.m.	E-mail & blogs
1.15 p.m.	Writing
2.15 p.m.	Baking, cleaning & tidying
2.45 p.m.	E-mail & blogs
3.00 p.m.	Writing
4.00 p.m.	Snack, cleaning & tidying
4.30 p.m.	E-mail & blogs
4.45 p.m.	Writing
5.45 p.m.	Make dinner, cleaning & tidying
6.30 p.m.	Eat dinner
7.30 p.m.	Dishes, make tomorrow's boxed lunches
8.30 p.m.	Time with my boyfriend, reading time
10.00 p.m.	Toilette (brush teeth, wash face, general get ready for bed time)
11.00 p.m.	Bedtime

Document Management
Different things work for different people, so I'll just share my solutions with you. Julie Morgenstern has also written a book called Organizing From the Inside Out, and it talks about how to decide what to keep and how to organize your papers. I'm a long way from actually having my stuff organized, but I've made notes and have many plans for all these things in my life. It's very similar to how you organize your time, using categories and prioritizing.

For me, document management is basically project management. I knew I needed to be able to keep track of what project I was working on and what stage of the writing process I was in for each project, so I created a spreadsheet using Google Docs. I have a different worksheet for each type of project (articles, long adult fiction, children's books, etc.) and each worksheet includes the same information:

• Keyword (a word or phrase that identifies the project for me)
• Fiction/Non-Fiction
• Type of piece
• Audience (child, teen, adult)
• Start Date
• # Edits
• Finish Date
• # Submissions
• Final Title
• Publisher
• Notes

When I complete a stage in my active projects, I can go into this workbook and locate another project that I'm interested in working on. Since I have several pieces that I've started but not quite finished, I would like to polish them first. The best part of this system is that I can continue adding ideas to my spreadsheets, so I don't ever feel like I'm forgetting something.

I also use different programs for different projects or stages of writing:

• For movies, I use CeltX, a free scriptwriting program that automatically formats your work as you go along. I can also use it for other types of scripts, from musicals to plays to comic books.
• For first drafts and for short pieces, I use MS Word. OpenOffice works just as well, of course! Because I tend to write from the beginning to the end, without much of a detailed plot in mind, it's better for me to use something that doesn't require planning ahead. It's simple enough to save several versions of a short piece as I edit it, too.
• For book-length manuscripts in their second draft (or later), I use yWriter, a free program that allows me to plot things out a little bit more. I can write scene summaries for the whole book, then go in and work on whatever's next without worrying about where it's going - it's all right there in the program!

Commitment
Finally, I had to make a commitment to myself that I would work on my writing at least once a day. (That's why it's on the sample schedule so many times.) When I sit down to write, I have to write one scene per active project - no ifs, ands, or buts allowed. This means that I actually accomplish something every day that I do any writing, and that increases the likelihood that I'll do it again the next day (or even later on that same day).

I only have four active projects at the moment, including the Mass, and they're all in different stages.

• The Social Habits of Dolphins is my YA novel. I'm currently working on the second draft. I had to completely restructure the book, and there's a fair amount of research I have to do before I can call this draft finished. Next I'll have to find a couple of people to read it and make comments so that I have notes to work from for my third draft.
• Vertical Reality is my movie. It's based on a concept album by one of my favourite Christian musicians, Eric Champion. I'm working on the first draft, which means that I'm basically just trying to get the whole basic idea down on paper. Then I'll pass it off to someone who understands scripts (like, say, that friend I had coffee with last night) to get notes and thoughts on it.
• Cut of Finer Cloth: O Come All Ye Faithful is my general fiction novel. I'm working on the first draft right now, and all I'm working from is a concept. It's fun, but difficult.
• A Pentecost Mass & Liturgy is about half done. I'm working on the music now, and once I have the basics down I need to consult with an organist so I can write the organ parts properly. (I'm not even a pretend pianist.)
  

I want to do at least four drafts of a piece before I consider it finished and begin shopping it around. So none of these are anywhere near being done, but at least they're being worked on regularly!

When I finish the current draft of any piece, I can go into my workbook and choose another project to elevate to "active" status. I'll then work on the current draft for that. Depending on how long it takes to finish the drafts and get comments from readers, I could end up with far more than four active projects on my plate. But this arrangement allows me to focus just a little bit at a time while making real progress in my work.

As we know, distraction and executive dysfunction are two very big issues for me. This method of tackling my writing is how I'm keeping myself on track and sidestepping the executive functioning problems that plague my days. I'm attempting to apply the method to other parts of my life, as well; it doesn't always translate perfectly, but I'm doing my best. And there is progress to be found, so I guess it's working!