Lost the plot

I was on track in August, I’m sure, but I seem to have gotten lost.  I’ve stopped writing as much, all of my deadlines have gone out of the window and I’m left feeling down hearted and frustrated.

So what am I going to do about it?  Get back on the horse!

I spent a lot of September and the whole of October being ill while everything happened around me – terrible things, busy things, social things.  Well I’m feeling a lot better now and I doubt work is going to become less busy, so I need to get into a new rhythm.  I need a new routine.

You read it here first!  I’m going to get organised, set new deadlines and get moving.

How do you get organised?  I use a calendar and a spreadsheet.  I write down all of my writing projects in the left column and the months along the top and then I work out what I will be doing for each project in each month.  The deadlines are put in bold.  This is then printed out and pinned above my desk where there is also a calendar.  On this calendar I scribble the main deadlines.  Then I watch as the deadlines go flying past when I’m no closer to nearing them.

Some people might say that I’m not a writer because of this (I actually read someone telling another person they weren’t a writer because they wrote ideas in various notebooks instead of one.  I don’t even use one notebook!).  Those people risk having their noses broken.

I am actually incredibly organised (you should see my day job workload) but, due to lack of time, I have a little difficulty organising my writing.

There are a number of software packages available these days for writers.  Ways of helping them to get organised.  Inevitably, they cost money.  I’ve had a look at a couple;

Scrivener - http://www.literatureandlatte.com/scrivener.php

Bubbl.us - https://bubbl.us/

I’ve come to the conclusion that they are a waste of money.  Take Bubbl.us for example, this seems to be a piece of software that allows you to type ideas.  I have a much cheaper version of this, it’s called a notepad.  I actually have difficulty planning and plotting on a screen.  I need paper and a pen.

Scrivener might come in handy for editing, but for now I’m trusting in Microsoft Word and my brain to do this.  This might be incredibly foolish but time will tell. 

Organising a writing life becomes even more complicated when you introduce a bit of freelance writing into the mix.  I decided at the beginning of 2012 that I wanted to get to grips with the short story.  I’ve since also been looking into article writing and I’m determined to become a published writer of novels, short stories and non-fiction.

This weekend I have been abandoned by the hubby.  I’m going to take advantage of this; this weekend I will become organised (I will not lie on the sofa and watch TV.  I will not).

Organisation is the key.  Procrastination is the enemy.  My mission, which I do choose to accept, is to become a successful writer, one way or another.

Bring it on.