In this blog, I don’t usually write about the work I’m currently doing. I’m going to talk about my own work this time, though, because it’s posing organizational challenges that I think must be common to many other writers who may read this blog. Currently, I am finishing a long book on Thyroid Disorders for Lucent’s Diseases and Disorders series. I am also setting up my book writing schedule for the next few months. It’s going to consist of Monsters: Genies, for KidHaven; Diet and Disease, for Cengage’s new Nutrition and Health series; and A Great Idea: Invisibility Cloaks (yes, you read that right) for Norwood House. At the same time, I am also working on several small, short projects — some 500-word articles on health topics for a Guru.com client, webpages for a natural remedies website, a monthly literature study guide for Bookrags, mentoring other writers for Mindbounce. I am staying busy! I am doing a lot more work than I used to do, now that my youngest child is in school full time and I can work full time.
But with all this work coming in, I find that I have to upgrade my organizational systems. There are two sets of problems: organizing my research, and organizing the paperwork for my business. I’m curious to know how other writers handle these problems.
To keep track of my research, I have tried several strategies recently, and not all have been equally effective. I’ve tried using software that allows me to cut and paste any Internet sources into an electronic binder, such as the OneNote program available in Microsoft Office. I found OneNote somewhat cumbersome, though. It doesn’t allow me to input my hard copy sources (unless I scan them in). And since I use just one computer at a time, it’s frustrating to click back and forth between a OneNote research notebook and the Microsoft Word program that I have my manuscript in.
I’ve also tried using a physical three-ring binder and taking notes on legal pads that already have three holes punched into them. So far, this method is working well for me, although it’s an odd system for a technophile to become enamored of. I like taking notes on paper, as it helps me to remember what I am reading. It helps the information to stay in my head longer than it would if I simply printed webpages or made copies of book pages and then highlighted pertinent information and/or added margin notes. But in the past I threw all my notes into a manila folder and they sometimes got mixed up. When they are in a three-ring binder they stay neat and organized. When I make copies or print documents, I put them in folders that are made for the three-ring binder, so they can stay next to the legal pad notes that they relate to. I have used this system the whole time that I’ve been writing Thyroid Disorders, and I’ve had a much easier time than usual keeping track of information, and finding articles again that I know I have copies of somewhere in my research…I like this system, even if it does make me feel as though I am in the 9th grade.
Of course, I also have a stack of library books that relate to each project that I am working on. My new system for keeping track of them isn’t very technological either. Technology helps me with library books on one end–I use the library website to locate, reserve, and later renew books. Once I have them in hand, though, I have taken to storing them in a file crate along with my three-ring research notebook for that project. Then I can grab my laptop and my file crate and ensconce myself anywhere I’d like to work for the day, or for the next few hours, since I don’t like to be tethered to my desk.
So I’m finding that for the traditional research and writing side of my work, I use technology to help me find my research sources, but once I have them, I like to use traditional methods to store and work with my research. (No note cards, though–I’m not THAT traditional!) For the business side of my work, though, technology is vital. I am not big on paperwork…I find that I use my computer to store electronic copies of contracts and invoices, and I use the Guru and Elance websites to keep track of projects, relying on those sites to store old project proposals, communications with clients, and invoices and payment history (which I will need for tax purposes). I use the Google calendar to keep track of my writing deadlines (and then I download them to my phone using GooSync). I have started sending all my receipts to Shoeboxed.com, a service that will scan receipts and let you categorize them later. (Of course I’ve sent Shoeboxed a mountain of receipts and have barely begun to categorize them.) I also store my client information, and time the hours I spend on each project, using software that is actually meant for law firms, but which keeps track of my hours and my client contact information, and will, once I learn to use it more, keep track of my invoices and accounts receivable as well. I am not sure whether all this reliance on technology is protecting me or making me more vulnerable. I’m very good at losing pieces of paper, and anything on my computer will stay in one place, where I can find it. But if I forget to back up my data, I could be in trouble!
I am considering morphing to a new system that combines various elements of my old systems. I’m thinking of saving, or at least backing up, my current projects to an online workspace such as Huddle, or even Google Documents. Has anyone tried this? My thinking is that if my work is stored in an online space, just as my Gmail and Google Calendar is, then I can’t lose it if something happens to my computer. I find myself already feeling grateful that I can’t lose my Guru, Elance, Gmail, or Shoeboxed information, because it’s not physically in my hands. Most of my work does go through Gmail at some point or other, so Gmail does provide me with a de facto backup for most things. But I’d like to have a more organized space that does the same thing but is indexed so that I can find things quickly rather than scrolling through old Gmail attachments. I don’t know…sounds like the next time I have some spare time (what’s that?) a trip to Lifehacker and various other productivity websites is in order! Do any of you writers who are reading this have other systems that you would like to share with me and my readers? Please comment below! Thanks.
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