What I've Learned

Photo by kconnors

By Peg Brantley, author of RED TIDE

I'm an organized person—usually. I can't work in clutter or with piles of paper or in an area that needs to be cleaned—usually. I read one novel at a time to savor and enjoy and well, not get confused.

Imagine my learning curve when I was in the throes of launching Red Tide while creating a scene list for my third manuscript and then beginning the initial self-edits on my second.

Here's what I learned:

1. If I close my eyes for a minute, I can remember the book I'm supposed to be working on: the plot and what characters populate it, and shove the others away.

2. I don't need to do an intense cleaning of every level of the house as often as I thought. It will survive.

3. If company is coming I know how to herd them where I've done some ridding-up.

4. Clean floors give an overall impression of cleanliness.

5. There's no way to get around the pile of paper that collects relating to a manuscript you aren't working on, or information on the business side of writing. I'll get another file stand when I get a chance, or clean out my filing cabinet so there's actually room for some folders.

6. I need to schedule marketing time. (And figure out exactly what marketing consists of.)

7. I can work on multiple things at once. Sort of.

8. I LOVE WHAT I DO!


I still read one novel at a time. Slowly.

Do you have any ideas about what I should prepare to learn next?

A Long and Winding Road . . . Gets Me Lost

By Peg Brantley, Writer at Work, Stumbling Toward Publication


Technical difficulties.
Brain farts.
Frequent stops.
Blurred vision.

I need help.

There must be some fabulous, fool-proof (and I mean that literally) method to keep details straight. Something even those of us who are technically challenged can use.

My main characters are fine. We've been living together for so long I know their idiosyncrasies and habits well. But minor characters? Even in real life, I have trouble remembering people's names. Let alone some walk-on who insists on being referenced again ninety-seven pages later.

What about those loose threads? Those little bits of information I introduced to later feed into something bigger and um . . . where are they? what were they?

I have folders. They're pretty (I buy the printed ones at the office supply store—a different design for each manuscript). They're also closed unless it's a research item, or a character study.

I have a spiral notebook. Somewhere. And while it might have some information in it, I can't count on it to be thorough. Because I'm not even quite sure where it is. And whether or not I actually took the time to write down what I'm looking for at this moment.

Stickies? Where would I stick them? Eventually my computer screen would be covered, and then it really would be a hit and miss proposition.

And unless someone wants to come and sit down with me to teach me Excel, I'm not inclined to spend much time inside the big green "X" icon. I have enough trouble with the address list I keep in it somewhere. It frustrates me beyond belief.

There's probably something cool in Scrivener for this. If so, please tell me where it is and how to use it.

Is that what edits are for?

It could also be that I'm at that place with this manuscript where it's all suddenly become a muddle and I'm convinced it's a mess and hopeless and what in the world have I barfed up?

Seriously, smart and organized writers . . . how do you keep things straight?