Tangled
and unidentifiable computer wires strangling your creativity? Are sticky notes
covering the surface of your computer, obscuring the screen? Too many characters
populating your novel?
With
the official start of spring, I’ve been gearing up for the ritual of spring
cleaning. Buds on the trees and tulip shoots poking through the ground prod me
to clear the way for new growth in my writing life. In order to do this, I need
to prune both physical and emotional clutter surrounding my writing.
Here
is my spring cleaning “To Do” list:
* Sort
through books and magazines. Keep my favorites and the most useful how to write
books. Donate the rest to the local library for their monthly sale.
* Collect
sticky notes, scraps of paper and paper napkins filled with my scribblings
about characters and stories then transfer this treasure trove to my PC. Make
sure I grab the ones that say things like, “What is the fastest acting poison?”
before my neighbors visit.
* Double
check that my computer backup is working so I don’t lose files like last year.
* Paint
the wall in my writing area a honey yellow color. Currently, it’s beige and
boring. Snoooooze.
* Change
the passwords to access my email and social media accounts.
* Make
sure the files I need the most are within easy reach. Toss unnecessary papers.
* Have
a professional, or at least a better, headshot taken. (I’m resisting even
though I know first impressions are lasting.)
* Take
some time to think about the following questions: What do I need to change in
order to gain more time to write? Do I have any negative thoughts or beliefs
about writing that are holding me back? What social media sites are working for
me and which ones can I delete? Do I need a website? Are the writing groups I belong
to useful for what I write?
* Grab
a machete and prune characters in my WIP. Perhaps there are a few insignificant
characters that would be better off combined into one character.
*Take
a Spring Break. I plan to read something just for fun like WRITERS GONE WILD:
The Feuds, Frolics, and Follies of Literature's Great Adventurers, Drunkards,
Lovers, Iconoclasts, and Misanthropes by Bill Peschel.
Are
you giving away, reorganizing or reassessing something in your writing life
this spring?
I hope your cleaning goes well. My weeds are stronger than my pruning shears and also seem to becoming immune to periodic poisoning.
ReplyDeleteAll kidding aside, I do find that a periodic cleaning does help me focus on the things I want to focus on.
So, best of luck – do you hire out your services?
~ Jim
Thanks, Jim. I find it’s easier to concentrate when I know where everything is located.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if there is a professional organizer just for writers. I think it would make a great side business for an entrepreneurial person who knows how to manage paper clutter, e-clutter, and mounds of books.
What perfect timing, Kara. For the first time in my life - not counting when I had knee surgery and my daughter came in, I have a cleaning person sweeping, dusting, washing woodwork, etc. I almost feel guilty sitting here at the computer typing while she's cleaning. She's a friend of mine from one of my book clubs, who recently quit her stressful nursing job and was looking for something else to do on a sometime basis - something with less stress.
ReplyDeleteI also have post-it notes and scrap papers with scribbles. I never thought about making a separate file for them on my computer. Hmmm. I wonder if I'd actually go to that and read them someday. It's worth considering.
It's been so cold here that it doesn't feel like spring. We had snow yesterday--so I'm not into spring yet. One of the consequences of renovation is throwing things out. Because our office also had to be a make-shift kitchen, I threw out and consolidated much in my office cabinets, something that was long overdue. As a result, I have room to clear off my desktop. Even if it doesn't help me function better, psychologically it will help. No more clutter. But your blog makes me believe that maybe spring will finally come. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteIt's been snowing ever since the calendar proclaimed it was spring. I've been scheduling trips and putting blogs on the list for when I will be gone. I'm also updating my partly finished stories. Put up or shut up time.
ReplyDeleteGloria, that’s a great way to carve more time for writing. Plus, you’re helping a friend. I’d love for my super organized 14 year old niece to sort through my kitchen cabinets. But I don’t know if she’d do it even for money.
ReplyDeleteE.B., I think that home renovations and moving are good (sometimes painful) motivators to clear clutter. But it’s a relief when the chaos is over.
ReplyDeleteThe snow was kind of a surprise. I’m afraid we will bypass spring (my favorite time of year) and rocket straight to summer.
Punxsutawney Phil was wrong about spring, too, Warren. As a joke, an Ohio prosecutor filed an indictment against the groundhog for misrepresentation of early spring--an unclassified felony. (At least I'm assuming it was a joke.)
ReplyDeleteGood luck finishing everything on your “to do” list!
These are some great cleaning tips! You've done a great work, I've thought of making a spring cleaning post myself, but I'm not that big fan of cleaning by my own, tho.
ReplyDeleteThese are some great cleaning tips! You've done a great work, I've thought of making a spring cleaning post myself, but I'm not that big fan of cleaning by my own, tho.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Jody! I agree that it's not fun to clean alone. Exercising is better with a friend, so why not cleaning?
ReplyDelete