Writing Blog Number 2

20240724 Organising Myself 2

Organising Myself 2

So, I was asked about this after my last post, so let's go!

I am slightly OCR, and so I make lots of lists of things. Lots of lists. Some great, some completely irrelevant. But one I would not survive without is my finished works spreadsheet.

This is the spreadsheet where I place all my completed works. Once a work is finished and had its initial edit, I enter the details on my spreadsheet. Simple, really. So, here at the details:





ID: this is the ID number I give each item. It is unique and so can be the key when I transfer it to an Access database. The ID is the year followed by a 3-digit number of the order it was completed. If I ever write more than 999 things in a year, I am well up the creek.

Title: the name of the piece. Yeah, it ain't rocket science.

Style1: the sort of written work it is. Here's my list of ones I use:
         ? - indescribable
         article - odd piece that would most likely find a spot in a magazine like MAD or Reader's Digest
         book - normally non-fiction or a collection of similar things, a longer work with a slight connecting narrative
         cartoon - illustration designed to be funny and not realistic at all
         create-your-own... - like the old choose your own adventure books
         D&D - for use with Dungeons & Dragons game
         essay - looking at an aspect of the world, no story-based narrative flow, information-based, even if non-fiction or humourous
         game - a playable game
         graphic story - a story based around illustrations
         illustration - picture, often serious, sometimes done in an experimental style
         memoir - anecdote or story from my own life
         musical - song series that tells a definite story
         novel - work of 40,000+ words
         novella - work of 12,500 to 39,999 words
         play - work designed to be performed on stage
         poem - normally rhyming (though not always) emotional writing (includes parodies of famous poems)
         poster - cartoon with a sort of a saying attached
         recipe - normally a parody of an actual cooking recipe
         script - work designed to be performed on film (or radio)
         short story - narrative piece up to 12,499 words
         sketch - short performance piece, normally humourous (film, stage or radio)
         song - piece designed to be sung, some with music written
         song satire - comedy (a parody of a real song)

Style2: deeper sub-styles of those in Style 1
         dialogue - dialogue only narrative
         drabble - work of exactly 100 words (including title) [also drabble complex, 1000 words, 10 chapters of 100 words, and drabble trilogy, 3 independent drabbles forming one tale]
         epic poem - very long poem
         Every Song Tells A Story - narrative story based on a song's lyrics, but not the original meaning of the song
         Fur Animorum tale - story featuring the character Fur Animorum
         memoir - anecdote or story from my own life
         parody - using an existing poem and making fun of it, or using it to make fun of something else
         Secludos ethos - set in my fantasy world
         Tales Of The Squared Circle- set in the world of professional wrestling
         Uncle Joe's Tales - stories about Australia as if told by Uncle Joe

Dates: Dates a story was written, beginning to end

Notes: Any relevant notes, including if written for WdC or university

Synopsis: 1-3 sentence summary of the story, including spoilers.

Published: If published, and where

Informal Pub.: Sort of published online or elsewhere without being official, or a cobbling together of online writings, and if read on the radio. Also, if I can't verify the publication (from early on in my writing life). These are not included in my publications list.

Pending: Works that have been accepted but not yet published; SUB means submitted for publication, but no acceptance yet (keeps track of simultaneous submissions)

Word Count: how many words in a piece (title included)

Rating (/10): How I rate the pieces
         < 3.5 - virtually unreadable
         3.5-4 - very bad
         4-4.5- bad
         5 - mediocre
         5.5-6 - readable at best
         6.5-7 - okay
         7.5-8 - not too bad
         8.5-9 - good
         9.5+ - really good
[Out of interest, here's the stats: Average rating: 5.21; Low rating: 2; High rating: 8.5; Median rating: 5; Rating mode: 5]

Genre 1 & 2: The actual writing style of a piece
         children's - written for pre-teen audiences
         description - narratrive is more about describing than telling a story
         detective - standard crime piece
         erotica - sexual content
         fantasy - lots of elements of unreality, usually set in the Secludos ethos or our world twisted
         game - for use in a game of some sort
         horror - designed to set a fear emotion in the reader
         humour - designed to be intentionally funny
         mainstream - just a piece that is general, without a really specific genre
         non-fiction - true, or purporting to be true, but noit a memoir
         religious - with a distinct religious (usually Christian) bent, not always positive
         romance - where love is the over-arching theme
         science-fiction - where the future or present is set as technologically plausible
         sociological - looking at an aspect of society, seriously or humourously
         surrealist - where it might not make a whole lot of sense
         thriller - a narrative where there is action and designed to keep the reader enthralled
         western - set in the mythical American old west
         young adult - written for a teenaged to early twenties market (includes 'new adult')

Link: The link to the actual piece on my computer hard drive.

And there we are - how I organise my works!

Oh, and at the moment, total works in the list: 2040.