The Organized Author – It CAN Happen

Frustrated by lost or stacks of research notes?  This Article Will Help

Two Tips to Organizing Your Notes

 Many writers especially new writers complain how they lost important notes for their manuscript. Or we shake our heads at the huge mountains that need a home, besides the round one on the floor.

This blog will make it easy for you to get and stay organized.

We'll look at two sub-topics -  

What to save and what to toss:

     * This is the easy one. No thought needed.

     * I save everything I’ve written.

     * I save all research, even if I've decide not to keep the scene.

How to organize:

Purchased a three-ring binder, tabbed dividers, page protectors, and a zippered pencil holder for three-ring binders.

I place all the small pictures of my characters (from magazines, net), small pictures/floor plans of your characters' house, school, or other important places in the pencil holder.

Make tabs for:

            * Characters - extensive biographies, including their past, goals, etc.

            * Story world - glossary, language, pictures, occupations, housing, culture,                history, religion, government, etc.

             * Locations – (you may need two or more tabs, if your book takes place in                 more than one location) maps, pictures (Google world works well, if                       you can’t go there) floor plans of any major buildings

            * Research – maps, pictures and information about the geography, plants,                        animals (if your story world is on Earth - save links to website that                          have videos of your animals), people, historical locations, arts &                              entertainment

            * Pictures - for large pictures or drawings

            * Misc. Information - Research for specific technology, plants, occupations

            * Deleted scenes - yes, keep them, you may want them later

In my book the Tirwine, I needed two locations with caves. I researched different areas around the world and finally chose the Amazon Rain Forest and the hill country of northwestern Afghanistan, both have cave systems. Also, since I’d never been to a rain forest, I searched for sites that had audio and visual recordings of the animals and insects. I found and visited these sites many times. 

If you have any hints to help writers get and stay organized, please share them with us in Comments below.

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