Organisational resources for freelance writers

joolsstone · Oct 12, 2010

Hi

I've recently gone full time freelance as a journalist / blogger for hire. My personal (travel) blog seems all consuming (esp the promotion of it on SM sites and of course all the sweet distractions they bring) and I've been seriously neglecting chasing up paid work/querying editors etc.

I keep getting good ideas for pieces but then forgetting them, who they were for or simply not pitching them in time.

Does anyone have any good resources they use (or even blank templates they wouldn't mind sharing) for easily noting and tracking this stuff please?

Like Idea A suitable for editors 1, 2 and 3, send by date, follow up date, result etc

Simple tools for organising your thoughts and helping you stick to a routine of noting ideas, querying them & following up.

Thanks
Jools

mshaw2268 · Oct 12, 2010

There might be something better out there that I'm not aware of, so looking forward to seeing input from others.

Right now, I use Excel to keep track of different info.

joolsstone · Oct 12, 2010

Oh I really hope there is something better than excel! lol It's fine for number crunching, but I hate looking at ti even for that.

WildScribe · Oct 13, 2010

I have a notebook that I use in OneNote for the purpose. I track all of my magazines, their guidelines, what I have submitted where, what the response and response time were, new ideas, etc. I LOVE it.

joolsstone · Oct 13, 2010

Thanks WildScribe. Onenote, that's part of MS office right? I'll look into it!

Smiling Ted · Nov 24, 2010

The problem with Excel isn't that it can't do what you want; it's that it can do so much more than you need.

Once you figure out how to limit your spreadsheet to just the functions you need - like formatting and sorting - it's a pretty good way to keep track of submissions.

I used it to track my first novel's voyage through query hell.

Linda Adams · Nov 25, 2010

Don't know if these will be helpful, but they may be worth a look:

http://www.productiveflourishing.com/new-planner-available-the-freelancer-workweek/

http://www.productiveflourishing.com/new-planner-available-the-monthly-action-planner/

Skyraven · Nov 27, 2010

You can also try Google Calendar and set up alerts ahead of time to remind you. Hope this helps.

joolsstone · Jan 4, 2011

Man y thanks folks, appreciate the tips!

joolsstone · Jan 4, 2011

Linda Adams said:
Don't know if these will be helpful, but they may be worth a look:

http://www.productiveflourishing.com/new-planner-available-the-freelancer-workweek/

http://www.productiveflourishing.com/new-planner-available-the-monthly-action-planner/

Special thank you to you Linda for these links, very useful worksheets indeed!

StephD · Jan 22, 2011

I've got to chime in with a thank you for the useful information. I am putting my life together right now with OneNote. Even a techno-not like me is able to navigate this!

amyashley · Jan 22, 2011

I use Scrivener to track all my projects and take notes on different things. I use pretty simple pages to track when I sent stuff out, it's just a separate file. Since everything shows up on the left for one main idea, I can flip back and forth between notes, the actual project, web pages, etc. It's pretty stinking groovy. It compiles the final product depending on what boxes I check.

Very easy to figure out too. I tried the version they have available for windows and it's worth the $. I have the Mac one.

Grace Jameson · Nov 14, 2011

The first tool that I've been using for about a month to gather notes on different things and track projects is called Evernote. This is the best tool I've come across for capturing and organizing notes. Easy-to-use free app that helps you remember everything across all of the devices you use. Stay organized, save your ideas and improve productivity.. Check out these other 9 free productivity tools I use in my freelance business to increase productivity.

TB4me2000 · Nov 16, 2011

I've tried a bunch of things, but I always go back to Excel, however flawed it (or my knowledge of it) may be. If you're on multiple computers, Google Docs' spreadsheet might be more useful.

Ulee_Lhea · Dec 1, 2011

I start with a folder called IDEAS (I know, super techie). I write them on scrap paper and throw them in. When I'm ready to query something, I pull out the folder and see which ones look most viable.

I use a spreadsheet (Excel, meh) for tracking queries and use iCal alarms to remind me to follow up after a week or so.

Organisational resources for freelance writers

joolsstone

mshaw2268

joolsstone

WildScribe

Slave to the Wordcount

joolsstone

Smiling Ted

Ah-HA!

Linda Adams

Soldier, Storyteller

Skyraven

What happened to my LIFE?!

joolsstone

joolsstone

StephD

amyashley

Stunt-Writer

Grace Jameson

TB4me2000

scribbling in the deep south

Ulee_Lhea

Fear no darkness.