[Sound of Sunday] Pretty Reckless & Robyn

Today is the day I finally completed a project I have started two weeks ago give or take. It's good to have a story completed and after much contemplation, I think the title "Pages and Play Things" have stuck for real as I will probably discuss later, but as I wrote I was heavily under the influence of two diametrically opposed artists. Both are female, blond, gifted vocalists and lyricists.

What have you been listening to?  

Proper Etiquette When Filing Your Work

This perplexing and daring piece of photography is courtesy of Dutch photographer, Erwin Olaf.

This post is inspired by my miniature heart-attack, when I remembered incorrectly where I have stashed one of my earlier projects and couldn't find it. I understand why everyone prefers digital filing systems, at the very least you are confined to one box. When you have torn off pages stashed "somewhere", there's a goose chase, if I have ever seen one. 

Writers, learn this lesson and learn it well. 

DO: Make a note of the place, where you store any physical writing you make. It would be best to have one central stash for these miscellaneous pages. PRO TIP: If your memory is unreliable and it has gotten you in all sorts of trouble before, home-made library card, darling! 

DON'T: Promise yourself you will surely remember in a year's time the exact location you slipped five torn-off pages. Memory don't work that way, sweety. PRO TIP: Don't think of thinking "I will type it up later", you hear me. Your scumbag brain will trick you into losing the pages! 

  

[January 3rd] Scribblle Me This, The Writing Intentions

I have been thinking about the writing experience from 2011 and can say that I failed, when it came down to documenting my progress. Of course I don’t suffer from the illusion that I did all that much writing in the first place, but at the same time I can confirm that I’ve completed several flash fiction pieces, several short stories and one novel revision, which is not what a busy bee writer should have achieved. 

Oddly enough, this the title of this is "Writer's Block"

This year I start with better plans, because I believe that improvement lies within better time management, better understanding of how your life can take a turn for the worse [in terms of actual opportunity to write] or enter dead waters. Right now, I know the course of my year in a sequence of ‘green’ and ‘red’ zones right until July, when I’ll most likely graduate. If things go my way [and I get enrolled in a long distance Masters program], I’m pretty sure the rest of my year will be clear to me as well. Given all these factors, I planned for the following:

1. Complete revisions on “Crimson Anatomy” based on beta readers feedback in time for the Angry Robot open month as well as initiate an agent hunt, because it’s not all smart at all to place all your eggs in one basket. Project Timeline: January 1^st – February 29^th.

2. Complete revisions on “V is for Virus”, my futuristic super villain novel, which I’m happy to say is completed as a draft and pretty well sketched in my head, so I’ll have a very pleasant go at the revisions. Contrary to “Crimson Anatomy”, the concept for “V is for Virus” as well as the feel, the voice and the overall arc in the series have remained constant for more than a year, which is usually a good sign with me. Project Timeline: November 1^st – December 31^st. The reason for this particular timeline is because I will split the current draft into two and then have a go at writing my first 100,000 word manuscript, which oughta be hectic.

3. Start a new novel project. I’m indecisive as to which project to select. I’m tempted by the possibilities. It’ll be either my YA novel “Airboy”, whose first draft is not completed and not up to scratch at that [though I will probably have to speak to an architect to help me with the main mystery object], my high concept secondary world fantasy “White” or a retro-futuristic super hero tale of emancipation “Super Powered House Wives”. Project Timeline: August 1^st – October 31^st. This will have to happen after my European tour in late July.  

4. In general, I have written down to complete and sent to publication twelve short stories in 2012, one for each month, which I think is believable aspiration. I’m keeping tabs on three to four anthology projects at the moment, so that guarantees a third of this goal to be fulfilled. I think the main focus will fall on finishing “Lungs”, which is around 60% completed. I’m not happy with how “Rabbit Heart” turned out as a short story, so I see a novella potential in the premise. Project timeline: focus on March 1^st – Middle of May [final exam sessions begins at that point and I will be writing a thesis, so I don’t think I will have much time to consider writing anything longer].

These are the goals, which I know I can finish in ideal conditions. This means work, school and personal life remain a constant. Since they are ideals, I realize that I will manage around 60% of what I have planned, this meaning that I probably won’t reach “V is for Virus”, but it never hurts to aspire to great success, right.

This may make me appear slightly crazy [for more than one reason], but at the same time I’m curious. Do you have plans for your writing?           

[December 15th] Shoot Your Writer's Ego, Wallow in Self-Pity

I feel as if I'm wearing my insides out in such situations.

 I’ve had some time to think this through. For the reason that I can adorn any situation with far too much drama than it’s needed, I choose to stay away from personal topics on this blog, but I’m beginning to grow confident that I can present some ‘real life’ experience in my posts. It’s a good time as any to dispel some of the mysteries that surround my person [believe it or not I’m a prime suspect of being a sentient cat with the ability to type in QWERTY].

Since this story is more of a moral, which has a lot to do with writing, I think it’s best shared here out in the open. As you can see by all the ‘I think’, ‘I this’ and ‘I that’ sentences I’m all self-conscious about what happened at my day job, so here’s hoping that you don’t think ill of me [and you can definitely recognize how too many episodes of Downton Abbey have left a mark on my turn of phrase].

My office job for the past three months [I switched departments before attending Fantasy Con this year] has me writing eight hours per day. It’s simple writing with a simple purpose and a low level of importance. This means that as long as I manage a lot of it everyone is happy, but here comes the ‘but’ thing. Being a writer among non-writers can be deceptive of how good you really are and because my writing [influenced by my fiction-writing style] used English a bit more imaginatively my mistakes either have not been mentioned to me or could not have been pointed out to me by non-native speakers, which my day-to-day superiors are. What we have is a recipe for a big ego [being constantly asked to translate words and how to best write a certain phrase] with no safety net [so far there is no challenger on the front].

Since I pride myself in being this good in English [though I’m sure this blog post is filled with God knows how many imperfections, which I’m not picking up no matter how hard I try], it’s fairly easy for me to get my head stuck in the clouds. I love receiving the praise, not for the sake of attention whoring, but because I associate my childhood with weekends spent inside the house scribbling words ad infinitum. I think I had to write Thursday more than a hundred times to get it right and remember it. I still hate this day, when I mention it in English, mainly because of my ordeal learning it. My friends used to play outside. I had a dictionary and one hell of a mother, who fits the profile of the constantly ridiculed cliché of an Asian parent. I’m not regretful. I didn’t think much of being in the same private classes with students two-three years older than me. I just love English and when I’m praised, I feel validated to the point I may develop a bit of an ego.

Thankfully, that ego got shot down Tuesday, when the editor in charge of the sales copy team I’m working under [new set of duties for me] had me brought over to discuss changes to the first website copy I had written. Oh boy was it a humiliating. I can’t understand how a person [my editor is from Texas, so I’ll call him Editor Tex] can say that he likes what my material and at the same time chop down every sentence I have written and rephrase until you can’t tell it has been written by me.

Editor Tex is an awesome person, by the way. I can see that he is indeed trying to help me and where he was able to explain why the changes in some expressions was needed [words with negative connotations of any variety should be replaced with words that on a subconscious level are all about sunshine and smiles] I immediately wrote those down. However, there were changes, which I didn’t understand. Editor Tex couldn’t provide an exact answer as to why he made them and went on to explain how there are subtleties to language use [the purpose of the editing session was to teach me those], but without really presenting an argument for the changes in sentence structure.

My initial reaction to all of this was: Holy flying cow from Jupiter, can I string one sentence together correctly? It was as if I had never studied the language, as if the sacrificed hours had amounted to nothing. I fully realized that this is needless dramatic gut response, but at the time I couldn't help it. Thankfully, I kept repeating myself that this is not about me, but about the writing. At the same time, how I can separate myself from the writing, when my English is my work. It's my grand work, which has lead to this individual ones. All so complex on an emotional level. 

I don’t know what to make of this situation. To the people I have confided the situation, I’m to ignore some of the more perplexing changes Editor Tex makes as to a matter of taste and to take away what I do find useful. Another individual told me that to her Editor Tex abused his power as an editor, providing destructive-rather-than-constructive critique. It’s tricky territory to be in as I greatly respect editors and I’ve grown comfortable receiving bathed in red works I have given to readers with far superior understanding of the English language. It’s just proof that a language is so rich that it always gives you more to learn and I’m happy to learn. But I can’t deny that sitting there for closely 45 minutes [all spent on a page and a half] humiliated me in ways I can’t even begin to comprehend. I don’t hold anything against Editor Tex and I certainly can’t imagine having anything else than a verbal discussion. Yet, having to sit there and hear the editor wonder how he can make sense of my sentences, because my phrasing was so off and in real time… Far from pleasant. If there ever was a version of the SAW franchise to do with writing, then my experience would qualify.

In short, I’m grateful that I work in an office, whose superiors are invested in helping their employees work to developing their skill sets. I’m big enough a boy to understand that there is no chance I will nail this sort of writing from the first time around. I’m also grown up enough to admit to myself that I’m far from being the best, never will be and that the best I can hope for is constant improvement [but given that I shut up, shoot down my ego and get cracking]. I will have to grow thicker skin, because fine tuning how a non-speaker uses English so that it convincingly mimics a native speaker [while living in a non-English-speaking environment] is going to be tough, humiliating and humbling. No other way around it.

I’ll leave the floor for you guys. Do you think I’m a whiner? What are your nightmare stories connecting with editing sessions?

[December 9th] Not Writing

 

Befitting the title don't you think?

I’m not writing. It’s the antithesis of what I am, I know, but I haven’t been sitting and I have not been committing to the new techniques, new routines, new promises. Partially, I find my mind distracted by the changes occurring in the real world.

My job definition is constantly at fluctuation, where I have to pay constant attention to it even outside the office; recalibrate my goals, redistribute my time and engage with my duties in a way I haven’t been asked to do in my other positions. First, because I haven’t had the chance to work in an office and hold a responsible before. Second, the nature of SEO is shifting with the blink of an eye, so I have to adapt and take every new project in stride and not rely on any routine. As you may know, I thrive on routines and every aspect of my life struggles, if I’m not in some sort of control over my routine.   

The semester is coming to a close and while control during the semester has been non-existent and I focused on my work life, I have to write a series of papers on less than thrilling topics. No mistakes are allowed. The stakes are rising and while I’m relatively secure on some of the topics, already having scored high results on one of my papers, I’m not so optimistic with the follow-up papers in terms of delivering them with ease, even knowing what’s expected from me. Exam month is closing in as well with January seeing a major shift in my work, study and therefore personal program.

Then there are the Secret Projects I have been working on. One for Jaym Gates and one that is not to be announced until later on. What I’m at liberty to discuss is that it demands a fantastic amount of preparation and production. Working on this Secret Project has taught me the value of developing a clear idea, devising a plan and starting off from as far as possible, if you wish to achieve a great result and I believe that once I can announce the details the project will go ballistic over the community.

So, this is me not writing. Why have you not been writing? [I know some of you haven’t been and you might as well admit it].  

  

[November 27th] Julianne Moore & The Succession in Art

The story I’m writing at the moment [titled “Blinding”] incorporates Bulgarian folklore, lore and fables. It’s echoing the path “Fables” and Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods” in terms of transplanting characters from their plane of existence and their endings into our current state of reality. Considering that the inclusion of mythical beasts is a popular practice in the genre of Urban Fantasy as it is, I don’t consider breaking new horizons, other than contributing to the expanding story pull. 

The act of writing “Blinding” has me thinking about succession in art and the establishing of a permanent continuity that feeds the collective memory to newer generation through different retellings. “Fables” reintroduces fairy tales to children, who prefer comic books to regular old books and “American Gods” has peaked my curiosity as to the different deities, other than the Greek or Norse ones. Succession in art is common. 

The 80’s synth beats are reliving their glory days in nouveau electronic, pardon my French and the style of the 1950’s [which has influenced visual arts heavily] sneaks in movies, music and an eternal pin-up movement. Which brings me to Julianne Moore, Harper’s Bazaar and a very couture incorporation of famous paintings. Julianne Moore’s photo session has her adopt poses and style of some of the most breath-taking paintings in the last century, along with new creations. I've expected nothing else from Julianne Moore, who is a style icon in the celebrity circles. This concept photo shoot is quite exciting as it shows these memorable works in a completely new medium, which is far from the remakes that we see.

“Adele Bloch-Bauer I” – 1907 – Gustav Klimt 

“The Cripple” – 1997 – John Curring 

“Man Crazy Nurse #3” – 2003 – Richard Prince 

“Seated Woman with Bent Knee” – 1917 – Egon Schiel 

“Madame X” – 1884 – John Singer Sargent 

What do you think about succession in art?

[November 24th] On Writing Longhand and the Importance of Words

I’ve not spoken about writing in a long time, because I consider the craft of writing as a rather personal experience. My main understanding is that every story is different and every writer is unique in his/her thoughts, inspirations and techniques are strictly individual. From where I’m standing, I’d rather not dish out advise. There are plenty of websites, which provide you with countless posts on the technical aspects of writing. Magical Words serves advice like a petite French restaurant; compact portions sculpted to beauty. Chuck Wendig overtakes the table as an Italian seven course meal, calorie rich and dripping sauce.

In that metaphor, what am I? I’m just a story in the kitchen and I’m fine to be one. Recently, I had to switch from writing on the keyboard to writing longhand, because my day job demands me typing. The implications are two-fold. First, my fingers are already tired from hitting away at the keys and second, my brain associates this time of writing as a chore*. Writing as an act and a process, sitting down and typing words, grew to be tedious and my ideas, no matter how bright and shiny and witty suffered, when it came to give them shape. 

Write or Die is an excellent software, if your brain has already swollen with the pregnancy of a story, which your fingers desperately want to deliver, but not when your story has its own umbilical cord tied around its neck. I needed c-section and writing longhand functioned as such**. Yes, now everything is a thousand times slower. Yes, I have to actually make more time to write the same amount of words I crank out for an hour. But. The big But. I place the right words, I add texture to my story I can’t do when facing the white screen or race with my fingers, because everyone types faster than they write. Sometimes it’s all about the physical presence of the notebook that helps me get my idea out. 

I’m feeling a bit guilty that I’m choosing impracticality over efficiency, which doesn’t make sense. It’s irrational. This sense of guilt is stupid, because it implies that you’re racing against something or someone. Is writing a race? Well, kinda. It’s a race against death. Everything is racing with death. Everything knows that it’ll lose a race with the big, underlined and bolded THE END; it’s more of a matter of how much gets done. This brings me down to the devil: quantity and boy do we know about quantity. Word counts, word meters and the month of the word count tracking NaNoWriMo***. 

Quantity is a fixation. In “Booklife” Jeff VanderMeer pins this quest for wordcount as a goal that is hollow, pardon, I’m paraphrasing from memory. VanderMeer spends some time to the importance of the right words and his points are excellent. While I understand how setting a goal, which has to do with getting a set number of words down, helps track progress, this is a ‘surface’ progress. First drafts become our arenas to suck and fail, but I feel as though advice to allow yourself to fail during first drafts is misinterpreted as ‘suck, but just get it out, doesn’t matter how much you do suck’. In my mind, this conspiracy theory emerges, where this predominant attitude about sucking has joined this fetish for metric measurements in a craft, which is not meant to welcome math****. 

The right words matter even in a first draft, because later on, during revisions, you’ll find that you have a solid first draft that needs little modifications on a linguistic level. That the prose actually helps you find the right direction for the story and relatively ease your journey in the land of Edits. Sometimes you can suck too much to know how to fix a story. And all the time you saved dashing through your first draft [and more] will go into your editing. 

What do you do when crafting first drafts? Do you stop to think or go where the hands take you? 

----

*I’d like to take the opportunity to distance away from my brain as we never have seen eye to eye on a various subjects. 

** I disturbed myself with this metaphor, so I will stop with it. 

*** Dudes, I’m far from criticizing NaNo for anything else. I still believe in its key value, to tech persistence and consistency when writing. 

**** I hate math, so there you go.

[Nomber 19th] State of the Writer

I've been silent a bit more than intended and it's high time I share some insight on what's going on with plans and projects that I'm running.

Writing-wise I've completed the rough draft of "Girl with One Eye" and am two thirds in the first draft of "A Kiss with a Fist", though both have been tough to write. After reading about Paul Jessup's disenchantment with conventional storytelling, which expects a natural progression from point A to point B [resolution wrapped in a pretty colored bow], the stories I've written are divorced from this notion. There is no challenge to occupy the character's life and demand a swift resolution [well, there is, but it's not central to the story]. I like to think I'm in exploration of life as a series of things that happen to a person and the reactive element in human nature.

The difficulty with these stories in particular stem from the fact that both of the narrators don't have eyes for the beauty in their surroundings and in their lives as well, which demands more modest and transparent prose. After the sophisticated and richly ornate prose in "Crimson Cacophony" it came to be a shock to my system. Another hurdle comes from my aversion to using the keyboard, when I create, mainly because my day job demands I spent eight hours per working day typing, which saps my creative desire to write my first drafts on the computer. 

And no matter how useful "Write or Die" has been in nailing down first drafts in record time, I can't use it when my brain is against the idea to tap on keys after work. I didn't know what the problem was [I thought I was being lazy], until I sat down to at least try and outline a scene. The result: I very convincingly wrote in my vision of the story on paper. Longhand, no matter how strenuous on my arm, is how I'll forge on with my short story projects from here on.

So what have you been working on? 

It will continue to be quiet until this NaNo thing is over

I'm writing this to completion despite feeling like I should abandon ship [though technically I'm past that point]. I thought I could blog through the process, but there is always next year to try and stick to it. In the mean time, I will prep some stuff for next month.

Angela Slatter on The Happily Never

I thought of writing something writing related, but honestly, this Angela Slatter blew me away with this very in-depth piece [it's a thesis after all] on The Chosen Girl in the fairy tale tradition. It's all very fitting considering the fairy tale wave I'm riding. Here is Angela's introduction:

The Chosen Girl
At the end of the fairytale, at the happily-ever-after end, there is invariably one girl left standing. She has come through a variety of trials set for her by fate and has triumphed by winning the heart of the prince. More often than not, she has won the competition to be chosen. She will generally have been one of a pair : a pair of sisters (full or step), the mother-daughter pair (again, full or step), aunt-niece, childhood friends, etcetera. Inevitably, there is a future up for grabs and, if we take the wisdom of Highlander to heart, in the end there can be only one. So, who is – what is – the ‘chosen girl’ and how does one become her?

For the whole piece: HERE

Mistakes I made writing this novel

Not relevant, but oh-so pretty.

It's nonsense, I'm telling you. I've taken precautions this time to not let my novel spin out of control and cause mayhem, but it has happened again. Mid-novel [time and time again], I reach the point I realize that what I'm doing won't bear any fruit. Despite the pre-planning, a lengthy outline [not lengthy enough in retrospect] and an exact idea of what I want, my own subconscious mind has pointed out that I've been toying with one aspect, when I should've considered all layers.

The result: A stick-figure instead of an actual skeleton [if I'm to speak in analogies]. All of the usual mid-novel Eurika's demand great changes in the beginning. Then, wait for it, I will experience the Domino Effect of Ideas. The middle won't be spared and the ending will go through its own stages of alteration. I've been staring at the two possible choices for weeks and it's either write it [hating the process, because I'll regret having to delete them only to write new ones] or drop it like a hot potato and leave it on the percolator. For Theresa, I'll even include an analogy from her home country. I want a duck, not Balut. [While you are at it, please do search for pictures of Balut; it's a delicacy after all.]

I decided to post-pone finishing 'Air Boy', until I sort out everything around it. My mistakes are not involving characters at all and just write about the protagonist, until I got the right feeling for Ambrose. Now, that I understand Ambrose, I started going after the whole cast, which I have been neglecting. I know that Ambrose's father is harboring a secret, which will help with another issue Ambrose has. I'm entertaining the idea of the Smith family having a big, dark secret, but that will not be until later. The Smith family has an interesting history and so does the city. I didn't bother with any of that, which is a bad, bad decision.

I should've made my re-search about where to place the Smith family. I picked Colorado for the right geography and climate. The idea was to create a fictional city, which I failed to do, because I do not live in the USA and I have no idea what a town or a city feels there. Next best thing: I picked a real, small town [Gunnison] and gave it a make-over. Gunnison v.02 will be wicked, weird, because the land is wicked and weird. It took about four hours to get all the data I needed, but the impact on everything in the story is great and positive. People do not kid, when they say that you need to know a whole lot more than you show in the novel. It's a lesson well-learned.

So, forced by the muse, I'm back to the drawing board. AND never ever neglect your cast and the environment.

Can I survive a Critique Group?

While I’m semi-inactive at the moment, I do have an interesting announcement to make. I had the awesome courage to apply for a critique group membership. You are reading the words of a Magical Words Beta member. I have been a member since late August, which is the month of non-existing productivity [thankfully not restricted solely to me]. Since the group [plus me] is picking up steam, I do not have an opinion on anything. So far, everyone is Zen and civil. Not drama prone or attention whorish [I may add those wonderful qualities].

It also doesn’t offer any insight on whether I’m suited to be critique group material. Which, I am certain, has you wondering why I’d joined one in the first place. I admit to being solitary and chatty at the same time, which I believe makes me perfect for one-on-one’s. It’s been and tested, but at the same time critique groups are hailed as one of the greatest tools in the honing of one’s skills as well as the solution to the innate writer’s isolation. I’ve considered myself a very unsuitable match for such an endeavor.

My behavior is usually dictated by moods, which makes me pretty unreliable on the long run, but through the group I hope to change all that and establish regular routine, despite what my hormones dictate. This will also help me straighten my priorities, which always seem to swing by instant gratification… Another thing that has me bothered is how much help I will be to others and whether I will be in time.

Schedule, Re-schedule, Goals

My current situation is the following: Creativity is overflowing, productivity is the malnourished child. 

Yes, writing has not been going so well. The awesomeness of having a smaller sibling return from her private palace in the summer caused serious issues for me. I had to cook, feed, provide the sibling with attention and PC time, take it out and get it to private tutors. Not good on the writing routine. BUT with additional family members also returning from my family's vacation-home, I can safely stick to her education, which is less time consuming. 

In light of this, here are my short term goals till the end of the year: 

(1). Finish AirBoy. We are speaking first draft. My first drafts are always short. I think 60,000 to 70,000. I have an outline. I have 13,000 words. If I adopt a 2,000 word routine I can get it done. It will be crappy... But whatever. I am not getting that voice done, until edits. That's evident. I need too much trivia to make it work.

(2). Revive a novella I left at the stage of a short story. 

(3). Edit, edit, edit. Start with Crimson Cacophony and then whip my Friday Flashes into shape and then send them off.

(4). Finish what I have started... Oh, these are just 10 or so short stories.

5 Tips to Help You Schedule Your Day

~

I have been preaching [bragging as well] how scheduling and ruling your social commitments with an iron fist, divine omniscience and calculative prowess will make your existence easier. Chaos is inviting. It seems like you have all the time in the world and as is the case with me, I am prone to slacking off and wasting valuable time. So, if you are like me, new to Order [and yes, the capitalization is intentional] then this is a learning curve. June proved to be a time table small-scale apocalypse. I had a day job, finals, writing and my special online persona, so my scheduling skills were put to the test.

The results:

- Something had to give… Because no matter how well you fill your time, your body doesn’t do long hours with no benefits. In my case, I endured mini-comas.

- I had no masterful scheduling skills. But I learned valuable lessons, which I am presenting you as easy to swallow tips.

1. Write it down.

The moment you agree to do something and utter/mumble/scream YES, write the task along with the deadline on whichever material is closest. As long as you have the piece of paper or skin along for you to properly add to your schedule, then you are almost safe. Just never ever rely on your memory even for ten seconds, because the backstabber will have you recall a week after your deadline was due [yes, this happened to me]. This is especially important, when you are play the initiator and offer to do something [also the same case with me].

2. Prioritize.

Don’t start with the fun tasks that you know you will enjoy. Never start with the shorter tasks either, simply because you will brag to friends how productive you have been. Take a nice, long look at the calendar. Then give your to-do list the same stare. Take a calculator. Do the math and prioritize according to urgency. I need to underline how tricking the dates seems. The 4th of June may seem far away in the future, when it’s only the 26th of May. The date is in a different month, you’d say [I had said so many times], but that is a little over a week and if you have several guest posts or a review on a 400/500 paged book [you have not yet read], then my friends, you are screwed [like I was screwed].

3. Never stop.

Once you develop the system, you better stick to it and not allow for circumstances to screw it over for chaos. Obviously, this is not possible, because things happen. You can be stuck in the middle of a clown convention that decided to hit the streets or maybe extraterrestrial donkeys are taking over the world. Survival cannot be scheduled and yes, I am using these outrageous examples to not involve the grim reality. The point here is mostly to have in mind that once the heated situation is over you need to bounce back in the scheduling shape or you will have lost of trouble organizing things back.

4. Say NO.

This one is easy. Until at least 1/3 of the longer commitments have been ticked off the to-do list, I advise you to reconsider agreeing to more. Now, this was for normal people. For those who know that NO is not an option: we all know you that you will say YES, despite the fact that even 48 hours in the day won’t help you. I am one of you and head banging has become a daily routine after I engage in whatever comes my way. To you I can say to accept more short term projects with less work required. Make sure you do not agree to be a regular at too many places [*clears throat*] and just strive towards moderation. Diminishing the level of business will simplify the whole organizational process.

5. Go digital.

I have a very personal relationship with paper and end up planning most of my activity on it. I have folders with neatly charted sheets, spiral bound notebooks and long range to-do lists based on the type of activity. However, this is the real world and not Disney, so paper won’t come alive and shove the pending deadline in your face. This is why, if you have not gone digital, set up a digital calendar with regular e-mail notifications. It’s human to forget to check what’s on the paper schedule and the e-mail notifications are invaluable in such situations [if I am to assume, you refresh your inbox every twenty seconds].