Organisation: Not For Me

 

Anyone who knows me knows that I am a messy person. I live in absolute chaos. I have a lot of hobbies that require craft supplies, and I have a lot of books, and they are everywhere. Loads of belongings but not enough space. 

That being said, there is one area where I do manage some semblance of order, and that is my working life. My writing life. I might not have a lot of free time to write, but when I can, I know where everything is that I need. It might be an organisational labyrinth that only I can navigate, but when it comes to writing, chaos is not a problem. 

Series and Standalones

Some of my writing projects are being written as a series, such as Finding Shadows. It's the first book of The Broken Kingdoms series, whereas my werewolf work in progress will not be part of a series, but when it comes to my books, I know exactly where they're heading. I outline, I write character profiles, and I create aesthetic boards. A lot of work goes into the planning of books before I ever start writing. 

I Love a List

To-do lists are my saviours. I have to-do lists for different areas in my life. My writing one comes with personal deadlines and ranges from small tasks, such as naming a character, to larger ones that have given me a talent for procrastination, like writing the synopsis. Ugh. 

The to-do lists and the behind-the-scenes planning have directed me to something that every good writer needs:

Stationery Obsession

Notebooks, project folders, highlighters, post-it notes. I love it all. Do I need it all? Probably not. Certainly not as much as I own, but there's nothing nicer than a to-do list on a lovely bit of notepaper, or a pretty notebook to hold all my character information. 

Don't get me wrong, I have my desktop, which is also neatly arranged for ease, but I still love a pen that writes smoothly in a book with a unique cover. 

Sometimes Organisation is For Me

Okay, so sometimes, even this messy writer has to find order in the chaos. Otherwise, I'd spend all my writing time looking for necessary information. It might not come naturally to me, but organising is a skill that I've developed because I find it an essential part of being a writer. I might never be tidy, and I may always have too many belongings, but I'll always know exactly where to find that information on a character that I need straight away. 

If you enjoyed reading this blog then take a look at some of my other posts, or head over to my website and learn a little more there.