Sample chapter from 
"The Organized Writer:
30 Days to More Time, More Money and Less Frustration"

Task
Grab a piece of scrap paper, and draw three columns.  List six or seven Main Categories you actively pursue in the first column.  Sure, you may have written brilliant articles on Horse Racing, but if you no longer write or sell them, select a more current category (remember Rule 6, Work Forward).  The second column is for Subcategories, and the third column is for Ideas and Topics.  

Take your time with this exercise since it will be the basis for the remainder of your organizing tasks.  Think carefully about where you focus your writing.  Use short nouns, and avoid adjectives and adverbs. Use the list below to inspire you.  

Main Categories
Here is a list from which to choose:

• Art

• Architecture

• Automotive

• Business

• Career

• Children

• Computers

• Entertainment

• Food

• Health

• History

• Hobbies

• Home

• Humor

• Men's

• New Age

• Parenting

• Photography

• Small Business

• Politics

• Religious

• Teens

• Retirement

• Science

• Science Fiction

• Sports

• Travel

• Women's

You can also review the categories in Writer’s Market.

Listed below are some additional main categories every writer should have:

• Other – contains a few unusual ideas that won't fit into your Main Categories.
• Accounting – contains all your financial records.
• Queries – on Day 22 you’ll see how to use this category to easily track the status of your queries.
• Manuscripts – on Day 23 you’ll see how to use this category to track your completed manuscripts
• How To – contains instructions like “How to Write a Query” or “How to Create a Mail Merge.”
• Reference – contains reference material such as statistics, grammar, punctuation, or online dictionaries.
• Cheat Sheets – store your pre-made forms and templates in this directory.
  

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