Tag: Organization

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Worried Your TBR Will Crush You? 5 Book Management Tips

Worried Your TBR Will Crush You? 5 Book Management Tips

Posted on by R.M. Archer

I’m not one to do a “digital detox” every new year, but I significantly pared down my inbox in January, which drew my attention to the nearly 2,500 books I had marked to-read on Goodreads, many of which reflected past interests and reading habits I’m unlikely to return to… and I suspect I’m not the only one with such overwhelming stacks of books looming from the to-read pile (whether that pile is visible or not).

Especially as we look toward summer reading, it seemed a fitting time to discuss how to declutter that TBR (To-Be-Read pile) and get back to reading what you’re interested in—with the ability to clearly see the next interesting book on the stack.

Start at the Bottom

Start your purge with Continue reading “Worried Your TBR Will Crush You? 5 Book Management Tips” →

Organizing Years of Scattered Worldbuilding with Scrivener

Organizing Years of Scattered Worldbuilding with Scrivener

Posted on by R.M. Archer

One of my primary goals over the past month has been to flesh out and solidify the world of Lightning and Thunder. This world has existed in my brain for somewhere around a decade (and I’ve published snapshots of it in Short Story Collection vol. 1), but it took me until now–writing a longer project in that setting–to finally compile all of my notes into one place, flesh out more specifics in areas where I’ve been banking on aesthetics and general principles, and iron out the inconsistencies that have popped up over a decade of scattered note-taking.

If you’ve been around for a while, you may have noticed that I have a pretty consistent Continue reading “Organizing Years of Scattered Worldbuilding with Scrivener” →

Story Idea Organization

Story Idea Organization

Posted on by R.M. Archer

As we hit the season of big writing challenges and you may be trying to decide what to write next or endeavoring not to be distracted by plot bunnies, it seemed like a good time to refresh an old (messy) post about my process for capturing, organizing, and prioritizing story ideas.

(P.S. Interested in participating in a fall writing challenge but not sure where to start? This post offers some alternatives to NaNoWriMo.)

Idea Receptacles

Inspiration can strike anywhere, so I have notebooks and Continue reading “Story Idea Organization” →

How to Choose Your Next Project

How to Choose Your Next Project

Posted on by R.M. Archer

If you’re trying to decide what project to work on next, whether for a writing challenge this fall or simply because you’ve finished one project and you’re ready for something new, this post is all about how to simplify that process–both now and in the future. I’ve written on this topic before, but I wanted to put together an updated and expanded guide that better serves you. Note that these tips can also help if you’re choosing what project to work toward publishing or querying, though I recommend also checking out this video from Bethany Meyer if that’s the season you’re in.

Without further ado, let’s get into some tips for developing an effective story prioritization system!

Understand Your Rhythms

As you begin to develop a system for project prioritization, it’s key to know how you work best. This will help Continue reading “How to Choose Your Next Project” →

Discovering Your World: Organizing the Info

Discovering Your World: Organizing the Info

Posted on by R.M. Archer

Due to a week of massive sleep deprivation and the realization that I’ve actually already written a decent post on developing wildlife that said everything I’d say now (see here), I’ve decided to replace my intended post on wildlife with a post on organizing your worldbuilding, to keep things on-schedule.

Worldbuilding is a massive undertaking, and there’s a ton of information to keep straight. Chances are you have info scattered everywhere–a sticky note with a handful of city names, a map tossed in a desk drawer, a binder that has some of your worldbuilding but not all the stuff that you wrote down in various notebooks. Fortunately, there’s a cure for this! Actually, multiple cures, depending on how you like to work. Continue reading “Discovering Your World: Organizing the Info” →