The Busy Writer's Book of Checklists (5 page)

#  First, determine how many projects
you have. Make a list. (E.g. write novel, build a Twitter following, increase
number of 'likes' on Facebook, start a critique circle, write a blog post every
week/every day, etc.)

#  Determine how much time you want to
give to each project. (You can do this on a weekly or daily basis. (E.g. of
daily time allocation: 3 hours fiction, 1 hour articles, 1 hour blog posts, 1
hour social networking.)

#  Identify, in a logical order, the
different things you will need to accomplish for each project. (You may find
some of the other checklists in this book useful for this. Create your own
checklists if you need to, so you won't forget a step.)

#  Decide how much of the project you
can accomplish yourself, and which parts of it you may need help with. (This
may be in the form of training courses, pre-reading, or paid help.)

#  Make a list of the resources you
need for your project. This may range from software to 'how-to' books to a new
computer.

#  Decide whether you need to outsource
any of your project. (Example 1: if your aim is to create a website and you
don't want to spend the time to learn, get someone else to build it - but in a
way that gives you control of the content. Example 2: If you want to create a
book trailer to promote your book, you may want to outsource it.)

#  Look at the cost of the project. If
you are doing it all yourself, the only cost may be time. If you are
outsourcing, or paying for a critique, how much are you prepared to invest?
Decide on the project COST at the outset and try to stick to it.

#  Create a timeline for each project,
based on the amount of time you have allocated to each one. The timeline will
include the following: Start date, milestones, deadlines, and a finish date. BE
REALISTIC. (Example: a novel may have one deadline for the first draft and
another for delivery to an editor or upload to Kindle. A Facebook business page
may have deadlines of so many status updates and so many 'likes'. Aim to reach
deadlines for different projects at different times. Stagger the starting and
finishing dates.)

#  Create a master calendar for your
projects, beginning with the start date of the first project begun and ending
with the finish date of the last project. (You can buy a calendar for this, or
use a personal organizer, or create your own calendar on your computer. Do an
online search for downloadable/printable calendars.)

#  Leave room to add new, smaller
projects as you go along.

#  If you find a project timeline
blowing out, STOP. Take the time to sit down and analyze the problem (e.g. Has
it blown out because you're taking on too much? Because of a family emergency?
Other factors beyond your control?)

#  Step 2 for a project that has blown
out: come up with a solution. Your main choices are (a) abandon it (b) revise
the timeline (c) get help or outsource some of it.

Writers’ groups and critique partnerships
work best if you’re organized from the beginning, and everyone shares the same
expectations. Some groups are mostly social: the members just want to meet with
others who understand what it’s like to be a writer. Others are tightly focused
on giving and receiving critiques, so authors can continue to develop their
skills.

Every group is different, so it’s best to
use these checklists as a guide, and tweak them to ensure that you’re getting
what you need.

A ‘mostly social’ group is all about
support and fun with like-minded people. If you are setting up and running a
social group for writers, these are some of the things you need to consider.

#  Where do you want your meetings to
be held? (One venue all the time? Private house or public hall? Members to take
turn hosting?)

#  How often will meetings be held?
(Monthly? Two-Weekly? Weekly?)

#  On what day and at which time will
the group meet? (Morning, afternoon or evening? Weekday or weekend?)

#  Will there be a restriction on group
numbers? Who will decide this?

#  Is there a process for admitting or
voting in new members?

#  How will refreshments be served?
(Roster? Host provides? Restaurant? Snacks or full meal?)

#  Will refreshments be served at the
beginning or end of the meeting?

#  Who will run the meetings? (Is there
a different organizer for each meeting, or will one person be elected each
year?)

#  Is there going to be a group
newsletter? (If so, who will collate it? Who will contribute? Who will send
it?)

#  What is the meeting format? (Is it
completely social, or will it encompass a discussion about writing? Will the
group decide on a topic ahead of time, and choose one person to present it, or
will everyone take turns to speak on the topic? Will any writing be presented
for discussion, or will this be a between-meeting thing organized by
individuals who want feedback?)

#  Will the group be organizing any
longer social events? (e.g. yearly weekends away or writing workshops?)

#  Will the group provide support for
writing time for members who need it (e.g. in the form of babysitting for frazzled
parents, or relief for a writer who is chief carer.)

A writer's critique group offers support
and social interaction with other writers, but its main purpose is to provide
feedback on writing technique and plotting, with the intention of helping all
members to develop their skills.  These are just some of the aspects of
establishing and running a critique group that you should consider.

#  Where will the meetings to be held?
(One venue all the time? Private house or public hall? Members to take turns
hosting? Take into consideration that some public venues [such as the back room
of a restaurant] can lack privacy for readings.)

#  Do you want a group that focuses on
a specific genre? (e.g. romance, mysteries, children’s books?)

#  How big will the group be? (A social
group can be large, but a critique group usually works better if there are not
too many people in it, so everyone gets a chance to comment/read work/request
feedback.)

#  How often will meetings be held?
(Monthly? Two-Weekly? Weekly?)

#  On what day and at which time will
the group meet? (Morning, afternoon or evening? Weekday or weekend?)

#  Who 'owns' the group? (The person
who established it? Is it a loosely-knit group with no one leader? Who makes
the decisions about the future of the group or the way that it is run?)

#  Is the group open to new members?
(Is there a process on admitting or voting in new members? Does a place open up
if someone leaves? What if someone wants to come back after an absence?)

#  Must group members have reached a
certain level of competence before being admitted, or are beginners welcome?
(Groups comprised solely of beginners often find it difficult to get quality
feedback to help writers grow.)

#  Will refreshments be served? (if so,
how will this be organized? Roster? Host provides? Restaurant? Snacks or full
meal?)

#  Will refreshments be served at the
beginning or end of the meeting?

#  Who will run the meetings? (Is there
a different organizer for each meeting, or will one person be elected each
year?)

#  Is there going to be a group
newsletter? (If so, who will collate it? Who will contribute? Who will send
it?)

#  Do you plan to have a regular
meeting format, or will the structure of the following meeting be planned each
time the group meets?

#  Will the group have one main
critique session, or will the meeting be divided up into different sessions?
(e.g. technique, plotting, promotion.)

#  Will there be a set topic for each
meeting or will any member be encouraged to discuss any topic?

#  How will critiquing of work be
organized? (Will work be sent to group members to read and make notes before
the meeting, or will work be read aloud? Note that the quality of the critique
is often better if people have time to read it away from the group first.)

#  Will comments/critiques be emailed
or passed on to the writer?

#  Does the group want to plan yearly
or twice-yearly retreats or workshops for members?

#  Will the meeting allow time for
social interaction? (Most groups do this naturally - the hardest part is to
ensure that regular, quality critiquing occurs!)

The type of feedback exchanged between
critique partners will be different for various aspects of technique. (See
earlier checklists for plot, dialogue, characters, scenes etc.) This more
general checklist will give members of a critique group some idea of what to
look for in a scene of fiction or a short story.

#  Is there a sense of connection with
the reader? (Does the reader immediately become engrossed in the action? Do we
engage with the main character?)

#  Does the opening arouse curiosity or
interest?

#  Is the setting (place and time)
clear and believable?

#  Do the characters come to life? (If not,
what does the reader see as a potential problem?)

#  Does the story move along at a good
pace? (If there are any slow sections, where are they and why do they seem
slow?)

#  Is the general tone and style
appropriate for the genre? (e.g. chick-lit, humor, mystery/thriller)

#  Are the characters appropriate for
the genre? (If not, why not?)

#  Does the dialogue sound realistic
and move at a good pace? (If not, why not? How could it be improved?)

#  Are speech tags, actions, direct
speech, thoughts, emotions and body language balanced in a scene of dialogue?
(If not, is any one of these used too much?)

#  How is the mood established? Does
the setting contribute to this?

#  Is description filtered into the
story through the viewpoint character, or is it unnecessary/too flowery/dull?

#  Is it clear from the beginning whose
viewpoint we are in?

#  Does the writer show, rather than
tell (most of the time)?

#  Is there plenty of emotional depth?
(That is, can the reader identify emotionally with what the characters are
going through?)

#  Are there any obvious errors with
background, setting, history, etc. (any areas that may need more research)

#  If this is a self-contained scene,
does the scene have an inciting incident? Does the viewpoint character have a
goal?

#  Does tension build throughout the
scene/story?

#  Does the reader care about what
happens to the character(s)? (This is subjective. If the reader can't identify
enough with the characters to care what happens to them, he/she should try to
identify why not. For example, is the problem they face too insignificant?)

#  Is there something at stake for the
main character? Does the author raise the stakes as the story continues?

#  Does the reader want to keep turning
pages to find out what happens next?

#  If this is a short story or the
final scenes, are all loose ends tied up satisfactorily?

#  Is the ending satisfying? (Is it clichéd?
Does it fizzle out? Does it leave the reader wanting more, or feeling
short-changed?)

Many writers are reluctant to embrace
social networking, seeing it as a waste of precious writing time. It’s true
that spending time on Facebook and Twitter, or creating blog posts, can eat
into your day. If you are already a successful author, with plenty of devoted
fans who will buy anything you write, then by all means ignore it.

The rest of us have had to come to terms
with the fact that social networking (blogging; posting on Facebook and
Twitter; participating in forums) can do more than anything else to expand our
‘reach’ as writers and win new readers. This, in turn, impacts on our sales and
therefore our income.

Indie writers, particularly, know that they
have to become part of the huge global social network in order to be ‘visible’
to readers.

The following four checklists cover the
steps you need to take when setting up a website or blog, becoming part of the
Facebook and Twitter community, or expanding your writer’s network.

There are many ways of achieving your goal
of establishing a writer’s website or blog. You can go it alone, or hire
someone to do the job for you. You can use WordPress to set up a very
serviceable website that can also host your blog – it is one of the easiest
ways a writer can secure an online presence.

The following checklist will
not
show
you how to create a website. It is just intended to get you thinking about what
you want to achieve, and how you will go about getting it.