My writing is starting off slow this year, but I'm looking forward to this coming month! I start my book today, actually, so we'll see. I had hoped to start it last week, but life is hectic. Things are finally starting to calm down.
I signed up to your newsletter a few months ago and after watching Helen Redfern use her (she recommended you in one of her videos). I hadn't downloaded yet and after seeing how useful they are I did, set my printer up and as they started printing I discovered I HAD NO INK LEFT! I was sooo disappointed and will now have to wait till I get more ink! Going to go back and watch the plotting videos too. I have been a pantser in the past, but have realised how beneficial it is to plot a novel.
Your videos have convinced me to buy a Happy Planner. I was using a binder, but I got sick of the rings bending and making the entire thing unusable. This disc-binding system is a thousand times better. Thanks.
That ARC punch is phenomenal - I've punched light/medium chipboard with it! Worth every penny if you're making your own covers or needing to punch a lot of insert pages in one go.
Hi Sarra, I like to recycle paper by using the blank side of whatever page I don't need anymore (make sure there is nothing on the printed side that is personal or confidential) and cutting it into four equal pieces. Then I use my happy planner punch to make small notebooks and add whatever scrap card stock paper that I can cut to that size, and laminate it as a cover. I use it for any notes such as phone numbers, to use to keep score for card games, etc. They can even be used for brainstorming ideas before putting them in my writing if I don't have a notebook right in front of me when I have a brilliant idea! I got the idea when I accidently bought some happy planner discs that were so small I was going to return them, but then, wow! It's been working out really well. (And the notes can be washi taped into your writing notebook so you don't have to recopy it.)
Hey even with 3 mil laminate you can add stiff pieces of card stock or recycle Manila folders in between your back and front images The edge with no image will punch fine The main part will be sturdy
Was trying to use an unused large Kikki K planner as my series bible to no avail. Was really unhappy with how bulky it got with just a few pages in it. Was thinking of going with the large Happy Planner and glad to see you did it first! Though I'm still working on my first draft (of hopefully a UF series), I want to keep notes for my characters and sites. Thanks for the video!
Hi Sarra! I’ve always been a pantser. Just discovered Save the Cat and two days ago, sat down and worked on plotting my next two books. Who knew I would feel like I just took a major exam afterward! Whoo! Made me feel like I must have done something right. This whole plotting thing is new to me and your organizational content is a godsend! Thank you!
Great Video. I loved the idea about using the old happy planners( from your 1st video) but this just helps show how useful and fun it can be when you use it and incorporate your washi's etc to enhance. Thanks for all you do and take care of that super cute baby.
I loved seeing your plotting planner. I’ve been looking at setting something up for the trilogy I’m working on and this gave me some really good ideas. I also snagged that black deluxe cover when they were on sale. It took all my self control to not get them all!!
Very inspirational! I love to plan, too, and I recently finished the rough draft of my first book in a series. I've been afraid to delve into rereading and edits - this (and you) motivate/s me! Thank you!
That ARC punch is a game changer for me. I can punch anything!!! I justified the cost by figuring I'd save money from not buying pre punched paper anymore...and not having any more every other page half filled spiral notebooks. Thanks for your videos and for sharing your process! You're very motivating and incredibly inspiring.
I am super excited about your new writing tracker sheets!! Wow, I needed this video. I'm going to refresh my plotting notebook this weekend too. I don't know if it's the winter blues or mercury in retrograde, but my plotting/writing/editing is feeling so stagnant & stuck right now. Thanks again for the inspiration and wonderful tools, Sarra!
Thank you for ALL THIS information it’s wonderful. Although I’m a medical research writer getting organized was an issue. I find your techniques beneficial and understandable. I can organize my topics like you organize your books and my POV the same way. Thanks Sarra
I really agree with you on the word “hustle”. It just gives me anxiety to be honest. I’m already a person who tends to be a perfectionist (in a bad way) and work until I burn out so it’s not a very healthy way for me to think I need to “hustle” to reach my goals. I think this is true for so many people.
I just finished the draft of my novel! Now, I need to re-outline and fix all the plot holes. I will definitely need new stationery for this! Thanks for all the inspiration!
Love this, Sarra! I found an Etsy download that’s a blank HP vertical layout and have used it for plotting your system (looking back, I think this was one of the first “hacks” I saw you post on Instagram). I’m slowly getting back into the swing of things with your book outlining inserts, a Romancing the Plot outline, and reading Take off Your Pants.
Super informative, as usual. I’d be interested to see a video on how to build a community and also where to begin with self publishing when you’ve got your final finished manuscript (if you have time, because that’s a lot of books you want to put out this year ☺️ you can do it though) x
Thank you for this video. I was starting to settle in and watch week two of the "Publish and Thrive," when I decided to take a break. I was feeling guilty and overly indulgent at even the possibility of attempting fiction. In the past, I have always been focused on nonfiction. But the thought of creating fiction keeps pulling at me. The video made me stop and check myself. (For now I'm sticking with nonfiction for income.) BTW I got in on the recent Happy Planner Clearance Sale. So this evening, I am putting my new black Happy Planner Deluxe Cover to good use! (Sorry for edits. It's been a LONG week!)
Love your plotting planner! I'm looking at creating one myself! If only we had the happy planner here in New Zealand lol. I also watched your Instagram story talking about and saying that you're using your old one as a gaming planner, I'd love to see a flip through of it to see how you use it/what you plan in terms of gaming! 😊
I love your style! Actually, I've been using the Save The Cat! Beat sheets this time to outline my story, and I'm pretty positive to reach 16500 words in my first draft by the end of the day (right now I'm at 14963 words!) so that I will close this month with a huge win! I sort of changed lots of things from my outline when writing, looks like I'm more of a pantser who likes to follow the voices in her head instead of following the path outlined in advance, but I'm quite on track with how I wanted the story to unfold (more or less).
I have a notebook full of notes from K.M. Weiland's book Character Arcs too! :) Thanks for sharing this! I need a better way to capture all my notes when I'm plotting a book. I tend to have little pieces all over the place! I am going to go find a large Happy Planner cover/etc. :)
YAY! I've been wanting to buy a happy planner to try this out in (I hate storing things in binders since the rings are a pain). Went to check and got just a basic planner (no cover) for 7.99! Can't wait to get started. Hopefully, it gets me excited to start outlining again. Still trying to get back to normal after having the flue a couple of weeks ago. I'd been doing so good with writing regularly since last October, now it's a struggle to concentrate, so I'm counting every small win as a major one. This morning, I decided on a couple of subplots and I'm perfectly happy with that being the only thing I accomplished with my writing. Here's hoping that switching from Scrivener to pen and paper will help unclog the creative well.
Thank you for this. I'm not happy with where my third book in my series is at too, in fact, the new name had been Hearts Developed and I've changed it to Hearts Revised. I've got to rewrite and replot the 50k novel I'd written. It was too dark and had two too many dead bodies in my light romance novel. So, back to the drawing board.
My writing is going... not very well. A few days ago my boyfriend left me. Not only did he leave me, but he also admitted that he was cheating on me with many women. I feel like I'm dying because I loved him with all my heart. I also feel like an idiot, a blind idiot. Thank you for the video, Sarra. You don't even know how with such a video you sometimes help someone on the other side of the world.
Magda that man does not deserve your affection Easy for me to say you will say Life is for happiness And it’s short Like my sister always said .... keep an eye out for the next bus coming around the corner
And like my Mama always said Tell yourself a story And I add.... And put the RIGHT romance for you in that story Or maybe a great Discivery or solution to the worlds problems
I make my own planner covers as well. A trick I do to make them more stable is to print out the images on card stock and double laminate them with the 5mil.
Thank you! Mine are printed on card stock but I didn't think of doubling up the laminating sheets. Does it make them more milky looking? Or does it stay clear?
Heart Breathings I will do one layer at a time then cut the excess all the way to the edge of the paper before doing the second layer. That keeps the cover from getting that milky look.
Thanks fir the videos on plotting planners. In November I started documenting my writing process and word count which has turned into a positive personal challenge. Currently I draw a table in my computer writing file and document words/date/time/comments - I'll check out Sara's diaries to help me bring my many writing activities into a central place - notebooks. Thanks
I also tool advantage of the happy planner sale and got a few of their classic deluxe planner covers for $3.99. I was ecstatic. Lol. I use the arc punch as well and use 5 mil sheets but I use card stock for my covers so they are fairly thick and the arc punch goes through them like butter.
Excited about this book and the others too. I have read so far: Shadow Demon's Saga, Eternal Sorrows, Fairhope series and went back and read the Season one about Franki and Rend. I just finished that. I am not going to read the Anthology you talked about that has one of your stories in it.
Thanks my time travel romantic suspense - Tangled in Tudor Times ‘ is on schedule ! I use planners for things like scheduling my work, noting completed chapters at various edit stages , and Tracking related categories of work I like drawing pie charts on my notes pages and shading in percent complete for this edit pass I also draw mind maps and do brain dumps in my planners Plotting I do in Scrivener I know it’s not your thing It works so well for me
I love this video. I’m so glad that I found it. I’ve been struggling to write my story for a year now. The only thing that I’m wondering is, will this work in a classic hp because that’s what I have at the moment. I can’t wait to use your setup to help me become more focused.
I absolutely love this system, @HeartBreathings! If this particular video were a handbook, it would be dog-eared. 😂 Though I’m curious - on the plotting “calendar,” how do you use each box? Does each one represent a scene or chapter?
Everyone does it differently! I would be so distracted with all of those dots, markers n stuff. I basically have 1-3 word documents with storyline, history etc. Then a folder with sketches (stickfigures), my maps and perhaps pinterest. Old office folders for print outs. But I only write for myself, not to publish. However I do need the fabulous dressers in the background!
I love your plotting notebook videos! I've used so many of your methods to find what works for me. Curious... the ARC punch vs HP punch... I've seen that it has a smaller... stem? To the hole it punches in comparison to the HP punch. Does it seem to make a difference in how sturdy the holes hold up with taking the pages in and out repeatedly? Anytime I write on a page from my book I pull it out (THANK YOU for introducing me to the beauty of the HP. I hate rings and spiral notebooks.. I had been using composition notebooks and lots of tabs to try and track where I randomly wrote things... then the clouds opened and angels sang and the Big HP became life!) Anyway, I've been eyeing the ARC punch, but I've used some TUL sheets that have that same smaller stem on the punched part and sometimes they don't seem to hold up as well... I don't know if it's just that the TUL paper is less in quality or if it's the punch that's to blame.
What kind of washi tape is the wider glitter that you used to make the tabs? The stuff I have is sticky on both sides and I hate it. Lol. Would love to have some more. Thanks for another great video!! It's as always, super helpful!
Your baby is so adorable! AND, I submitted 3 chapters of my book to a publishing company in Canada; my first time! I still have to finish the book though. I'm excited but I don't know if I'll get a rejection or not. My book title is: Tears of Blood; my autobiography of living with depression, abusive husbands, and breaking free of the mind control of Jehovah's Witnesses.
OMG the "We are all made of stars" thing was inspired by Qinni, an artist who recently passed: ru-vid.com/show-UCKklAl7dRe7OPvAhqmwI_MQ She created a painting of a beautiful girl with the galaxy art across the face back in 2016. Her painting video went viral and it became a huge trend for a while. It is so amazing to see her influence in your older digital dash box. Brought tears of joy when I saw it! She inspired (and continues to inspire) makeup artists, traditional artists, digital artists, writers, and so many others with her work! I love your new setup and thank you for the tracking resource! I like that you do a practice run before setting up your permanent sheets. It's a great way to prevent creative paralyzation. I'm really looking forward to your new books. Has the reset helped you feel refreshed instead of stressed? For those who haven't joined, the writing sprint group is so awesome! Everyone is super supportive and the writing retreats are fantastic!
Hi was just wondering what size paper you used and where you found it. I have a delux cover that I wanted to use for a plotting notebook after I saw yours but mine doesn’t fit a4 and it’s too big the a5 would look wired so was just wandering what size you used. Thanks.
Heart Breathings thanks really want to create one of these plotting notebook books and thought after I got all the products it would be okay but then when I tried to put in my back cover it didn’t fit as it was a4 and laminated haha.
How do you climb out of a three year clinical depression. It’s soooo hard. And yes so scary. So scared to even work again since I gave into it for so long.