If you are newer to the writing process, it may feel overwhelming. What does one do with all of the little stories in order to make them into a real book?
We are here to help! Follow along in this series of bites in the coming weeks to learn more. To see the last two bites, go here and here.
Bite #7 – Now Get a Bigger Notebook
You’ve done it. You’ve decided to write your life stories. Maybe you have already started the project, and a few stories are written. Now what? How do you organize such an overwhelming project? How do you segment such a big life, full of memories, into smaller, more manageable segments?
I have a proven solution for you. Get a three-ring binder and a package of eight or ten index tabs. Then, I want you to make a tab for each decade of your life. As you finish each story, simply slip it into the section that matches the time period in which the piece takes place. You’ll instantly have your stories organized into more manageable, organized segments.
Yes, many of you organize your work in folders on your computers. However, the three-ring binder gives you a hard copy backup of your work. You never know when that might come in handy. Also, there’s something so rewarding and gratifying about holding a binder full of stories. As I write in my book about the binder, “It starts out all skinny and empty, but every story I write plumps it up until it’s this big, fat notebook that’s a chore to lug around. I hold it in my arms, and I feel the weight of my effort.”
Doesn’t that sound motivational? Give it a try, and let me know how the binder works for you.
To read all 200 bites in my book, purchase your own copy of Eating an Elephant: Write Your Life One Bite at a Time.
