How to Make a Writing Calendar

Last year, I decided to bring some organization to my writing routine to see how it worked out. So in February, I grabbed some paper and pens and started making a writing calendar. While I moved things around throughout the year to better accommodate my schedule, I was able to stay on track with most of my goals. I’m doing the same thing in 2017 and thought I’d share my method.

(Disclaimer: My first 2017 calendar had some things marked wrong—plus looked pretty messy—so this is actually my second version. Much neater and with things in their proper order.)

Onward!


Step One: Make the calendar outline.

I make a list of the months (usually in a 3x4 layout) on paper.

I also make a note—at the bottom of the page or on a separate scrap of paper—of any writing events I plan to participate in during the year (like Camp NaNo and NaNoWriMo). If I know the dates, I note those as well. 




Step Two: Choosing Projects

If there are any major writing projects I want to complete, I make a note of them as well. While not all may be written as planned, I like having an idea of what could be ready to be written. This year, my biggest writing project will be making TAD2 ready for betareading. Most of my writing calendar is structured around this WIP.

In some cases, I know I want to revise or work on a new WIP, but I’m not sure yet which projects. In this case, I’ll just mark Revision or New WIP. This way, I can narrow my list of potential projects to a category and make it easier to choose.


Step Three: Breaks

I also include writing breaks on my calendar. During breaks, I may work on short stories or plot notes, but I try not to work on any huge projects. 


And that’s my method for making writing calendars!

It’s a flexible process too. If it takes longer to complete a project than planned, I can move things around to accommodate the overlap. Or, if I thought I’d be working on a revision but that project isn’t as ready as I thought, I can switch to a new WIP and move the revision to its place. To quote Pirates of the Caribbean, it’s more like guidelines than actual rules. :)

Do you make a writing calendar? Tell me about your process!


Comments

  1. This look so cool, Jameson! Thanks for showing us this tutorial - now I might have to go make myself a writing calendar ;).

    ~ Savannah
    scattered-scribblings.blogspot.com

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    1. Thanks! It's a pretty fun resource to have around, even if things do go quite as planned. :)

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  2. Oh wow, YOU ARE SO ORGANIZED. I absolutely love this! I keep a document on the computer where I log in anything writerly I did that day or how many words I wrote, etc. But I am not nearly as organized as this! This is too cool!

    (P.S. I tagged you for the Life Lessons Learned from Fantasy tag: http://musingsofanelf.blogspot.com/2017/02/life-lessons-learned-from-fantasy-tag.html Absolutely no pressure to do it! I just wanted to let you know. ^_^)

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    1. That's such a neat idea! I've tried keeping track of my daily word count (usually with MyWriteClub), but I only end up being consistent with it during NaNo events. I may have to try this instead...

      That tag looks so fun! I can't wait to do it!

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