Organizing My Writing
The binder project is the most exciting thing I accomplished last month–over the past several months actually.
No, this isn’t a post about Spanx or any other kind of shape wear. I’m not talking about that kind of binder.
Back to the binder project!
“The Binder Project” (as I’ve been calling it in my head) was an organizational endeavor I’ve been meaning to cross off my list for a year. I put all the essays and short stories (and the blog posts from this site including lists like “Friday Finds”) that I’ve written since 2010 into 3 binders. I did the 1st binder of essays by topic and the 2nd one in chronological order. Now every few weeks I can print off the latest posts/articles and put them in the right place. An old fashioned gal like me needs to hold the words in her hand sometimes. Since 90% of the writing I do is online, I had to make the physical copies myself. (I have an article in the summer print issue of Brain, Child Magazine by the way. My first offline for them!)
I made a 3rd binder for the published short stories. And because I’m sort of weird and a bit type A, just getting all these pieces of writing into some kind of bound together (albeit loosely) hardcover thing has been a really exciting accomplishment for me.
The true pride, however, is knowing that in a handful of years I went from my husband saying (to paraphrase) “stop whining about wanting to be a writer and just write already” to having enough essays out there that it took me a long a time to get them all in one place. I placed the binders next to the few literary journals and anthologies where I have essays or stories and my little shelf was complete. (See photo above.)
Making these binders was more complicated than you might think. And that level of complication probably wasn’t necessary, but here’s how it happened:
#1. I MADE A COHESIVE DOCUMENT THAT WOULDN’T HURT MY EYEBALLS
I copied and pasted everything I’ve written in the past 3.5 years into one Word document so it would all be in the same font and size. With some websites, I didn’t mind how an article looked when I went to print it straight from their page. But with others, there was no printer-friendly option and the inconsistently didn’t sit well with me. So, I went forward with the infinitely more tedious option of combining everything I’ve ever published out in the world combined with everything I’ve ever written here on this site. This took a VERY LONG TIME. I lost track of how long to tell you the truth. I’d start and then lose steam then pick it back up months later.
#2. I PRINTED EVERYTHING THEN LET IT ALL SIT IN MY KITCHEN FOR ANOTHER TWO MONTHS
I printed two copies of the document full of essays. That was a total of 650 pages, people! (325 to put in chronological order and the other copy to organize by topic). The stories were easy as there are only a dozen. The essays, however, overwhelmed me, and by the time I got around to buying the binders I had a bunch more to print out.
#3. I WENT TO A FUN STORE AND BOUGHT OVERPRICED BINDERS
Russell and Hazel makes some really fun office supplies and the company is based right here in Minnesota. They even have a new-ish store in Edina (where I live). Could I have chosen Office Max or Target? Sure. But this was a special project requiring extra special supplies.
#4. I SPREAD THE ESSAYS OUT IN MY KITCHEN BY TOPIC
It was not surprising for me to see how the topics took shape. They were: parenting; friendship; marriage; health and other habits like getting off my iPhone; book reviews; Judaism; lists of things I’m into at any particular time; posts about writing; and about blogging and other social media tips like Twitter. Don’t worry, I bought good category separators at Russell and Hazel. And I used my label maker. Because, Type A+.
Without a doubt, this project was worth every minute. Now my only goal for the summer is to get our 2013-2014 school year pictures in some kind of album. That should only take me until December. Hopefully of 2014, not 2015.
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56 Responses
My wish for you, Nina, is that you beam with pride every time you look at that shelf. Well done, my friend, with the organizing, but more so with the writing.
Shannon recently posted..Home
Thank you so much for that!
Sounds like a book or two in the making!
Deb @ Urban Moo Cow recently posted..Which Memories Will You Choose to Keep? A Review of This Is Childhood
OH, how I wish that could be the case. I think it’s all too disconnected though.
What a great idea to put everything you’ve written into a place you can hold and touch, Nina!
Alison recently posted..About Confidence
It was tedious was fun, and I found some old posts that enjoyed reading a again. (And for sure a few that made me cringe. But not too many.)
Wow! I am impressed! Most of my stuff lives in the computer and online. The only exception is my manuscript which I’m revising. Kudos to you!
Vikki recently posted..Perfection and Motherhood
The comment appeared, Vikki! You might want to have hard copies . . . I don’t know. Maybe I’m very old-fashioned. It’s nice to have–even if it’s just for me. Your manuscript is a good exception by the way!
Nice work! It’s like a trophy shelf…but BETTER! You’re gonna need a bigger bookcase some day, I just know it. 🙂
Kristen recently posted..And/Or: When Young Girls Think About Their Future
Yes! Exactly like a trophy shelf! And thank you for that bit of optimism.
My daughter’s Bat Mitzvah was this year, and I discovered that the album with her first year photos is not in the box with the other albums. I guess that’s what happens when you move a few times! So this summer, my goal is to put the boxes of loose photos that I did find into albums, sort the digital photos into folders to prepare for my son’s Bar Mitzvah montage in advance, and find that missing photo album!
That’s a BIG project!
Wow, just reading this felt strangely satisfying! I love anything that involves words, papers, binders, and a fun office supply store. 🙂
Zsofi recently posted..My writing life: Agonize, revise, repeat
I knew that most writers who have work online would get a kick out of this!
You know how much I love this project, Nina. Brian and I talk about this often, how keeping a record of what is important to us is affirming, a form of artifacts which mean something to us and our families. Every time I do anything like this, I feel empowered as a human being, as if I’ve been enabled to even more be me. Congratulations on getting it all put together! As always, you’re an inspiration. xo
Jennifer King recently posted..23 Favorite Maya Angelou Quotes
Thank you, Jennifer! I love how you worked that. It really is affirming to have it all together like that.
You’d get whiplash to see how fast I clicked on this post based on the title. I love binders. And you know me; I love organization. I, too, have a binder shelf of all my written works (though I haven’t done blog posts — good thought there), and I value it highly. In an age where most of us write everything digitally, I think it’s absolutely important to see physical “proof” of what we’ve done. I hope you feel the same sense of ownership and pride when you look at your shelf as I do when I look at mine. Congrats on getting the task done! Cute binders, by the way. 🙂
Annie Neugebauer recently posted..The Cookies
Ha! That’s so funny, Annie. I know you’re a good organizer too. I love your story submission chart!
You have to do your blog posts! I think of all those really excellent post explaining different genres, etc. Come on!
For some reason my first thought was about Mitt Romney making that comment about binders of women.
I wonder if I’d buy overpriced, gorgeous binders or if I’d just go to Target and wind up with a Frozen one because I happened to be with Scarlet that day.
This is making my head spin too. There are YEARS of writing I want to organize. My parents still have some of my really old stuff from before computer time too.
Tamara recently posted..I Am The Butterfly.
You would need a good printer for your project because of all those great photographs!
You are my hero, Nina. I would love to do my own binder project, and I can appreciate every step down to the pretty binders. Well done, and congrats on finishing!
Dana recently posted..The world loves amazing: My Love List for June
Thank you!
Job well done! This is David Sedaris-level of organization, Nina. The cross-referencing and categorizing you described reminded me how he organizes his journals. Every night he transcribes his notes into a Word document. Then he labels each entry by various categories and topics. That way if he needs a reference about frogs for an essay he’s writing, et voila — he can find a journal entry from three years ago with just a few clicks.
Jackie Cangro recently posted..The One With the Sheep
It would be sort of interesting to cross-reference and categorize. I have the impulse, but probably not the time right now. That could be an interesting project one day when my kids are in school all day . . .
I am definitely inspired by his meticulous journal keeping.
Nina, that is quite an accomplishment! Between the binder project and the 30-day clean eating, you can call yourself a motivated, disciplined, organized and committed woman! An inspiration to us all, especially those of us who start sweating when we hear the word binder.
Julie Burton recently posted..Why I Love Helping My Teens With their Essays in Your Teen Magazine
It was a good month that way! 😉 There are slothy months, too. Believe me!
That is a huge accomplishment, as is eating clean for 30 days. Wow!
Jennie Goutet recently posted..Summer Rice Salad
Thanks Jennie!
Not only do you get rid of clutter but you tackle projects to preserve the things you really want to keep? What an awesome balance to pull off! I’m so impressed with this project, and having lost work to sites that updated their CMS that affects the look of the article or where a company decided they didn’t want to focus on content anymore, I know you will be even more grateful that you did this. : )
Diann recently posted..Mandy Ingber, Yoga Instructor to the Stars, Shares Health Tips
I had not thought of that balance of the two. Thank you for pointing that out! And yes, I have already seen one site where I had my first story ever totally fold. So glad I have the version that was there in a Word document. It lives forever in the binder! (And was reprinted in a print journal Midwestern Gothic.)
I have the very same project on my to do list. And when I get home form the road trip, I will officially be two summers behind on my road trip Shutterfly books!
ALlie recently posted..The Raging Rapids
Over winter break I made a Shutterfly book for my 3rd child’s 1-5th years. And one for my 4th’s 0-2 years. It was a beast of a project, but it felt SO GOOD to cross it off. Now this winter break I will just have one year to do per kid. Although that actually sounds like a big project again. Shoot.
Good luck with yours!
Yay for you! I want to organize all my teaching stuff–resources, worksheets, teacher appreciation notes, and office supplies. During the year, my things tend to get piled in certain spots, but if someone else had to come in to take over, it wouldn’t be good. Over the years, I’ve collected many things, but with the change over to Common Core, I decided to take my time on our last day of work to clean out my shelves and cupboards of unneeded papers. There were a lot of trashbags outside my room! But now I feel like I can start next year fresh. I’m going to go in over the summer to start prepping and organizing for next year.
TJ recently posted..Finish Well (PBC Remix)
That is THE BEST feeling to clean house–so to say. I do that with my closest, papers, etc. I find it’s the only I can make way for the next thing. Congrats on getting that done already for the next school year’s plans.
Great stuff, Nina! I can imagine the efforts you took for this, and I look forward to the day when the compilation of all my writing fills up a shelf!
It will! You’re writing and THAT is how it gets done.
I’m so inspired by your binders! Love that idea. And congrats on all you’ve accomplished with your writing!
Thank you so much, Leah!
Ohhhhh…I love this binder idea, esp in light of my latest organizational endeavors to be more type A 🙂 thanks for the idea. And I’m very intereSted in your clean eating month. 100% compliance – I’m impressed!
Amymak recently posted..Sunday Meditations: Ruth, Virtue, and Our Unknown Greatness
It went really well, but now I’m constantly drawn to dried fruit. Any ideas???
I LOVE this idea. Love it. I should really do this with my music. Right now the main project I’m working on is decluttering and just minimizing the amount of stuff I have.
Rivki Silver recently posted..The Mountain Family – A Review
I’m constantly doing that. It never seems to end.
I don’t consider myself a real writer but others tell me I am. I’m a part-time blogger because it was just a place to put my stuff. My brother wants me to put a collection of my insights together in a binder too– so when I read this piece this morning, it made me smile. I will have to put it on my to-do list but wonder when I will find the time:-)
Thank you for confirming what I need to do!
I enjoyed the post.
Alice
Hi Alice! I don’t think there’s any down side to getting the stuff together this way. It also makes it easy to continue to add work to the binder (or binders) as you see fit.
Good luck and have fun with it!
I thought of Annie Neugebauer the whole time I was reading this. (Then looked through your comments to make sure she’d seen it.) I love your binders. I have a little shelf of the anthologies and journals my work has been published in, but it doesn’t include any of the digital publications. I like that you have concrete, physical reminders now of your literary badassery.
j recently posted..A life full of YES
Thank you! And that made me smile re: Annie. Wasn’t her comment so funny? Loved the whiplash image. By the way, I remember when you pointed out that a few of your older stories were in journals that are no longer online or something like that. That was something I had in the back of my head when I decided to do this. You played a part here!
Wow!! That is quite an undertaking. I am impressed not only by the project but by the fact that you had so much writing to organize!
Stacey recently posted..The Weekend Papers: Third Edition
Thank you, Stacey!
THAT is totally inspiring and awesome! Good work. I faithfully create photo books to capture each year as they happen, but I’m woefully behind and need to complete 2013 and get started on 2014. I always blame my lack of a system!
Naomi recently posted..Top Twenty Podcasts you should be listening to
It’s really a good idea to do them month by month and order it at the end of the year. Maybe I’ll do that for . . . 2015! Do you guy by calendar year or school year?
I do ours June-June, so I’m officially one year behind now. Gasp! I have the program sitting on my desktop, so you’re right. I need to just set a time at the end of each month to get THAT prior month done!
Naomi recently posted..How to Stage Your Home to Sell
So impressed! You get an inspiring amount of writing and organization (not to mention mothering!) done. I am woefully behind on cataloging all kinds of family things and also have not filed any of my online writing — I think it’s a critical thing to do, too, since who knows what may or may not be findable in the future. Very wise!
Julia Munroe Martin recently posted..My Writing Process: blog tour
I really am VERY behind on dealing with the pictures. Just the digital files of pictures is giving me hives. I also want to label the pictures in these digital files. Yikes– seems impossible.
Oh my, Nina! That’s just the kind of OCD project that would drive me crazy (due to procrastination) and give me an excessive high (on completion) all at once. You even put them all in a word doc and formatted?? Respect. But, most importantly, I hope that gave you a special thrill, seeing all those published words of yours right there in print. You deserve to be extremely proud of yourself!
Alarna Rose Gray recently posted..The Wood Chipper
Thank you, Alarna! I so appreciate the appreciation for how massive this was!
Nina,
How is it that I’m just finding your writings now. I really enjoyed reading your twitter tips–I love twitter, too. I’m also enjoying your essays. You seem like a deep thinker and someone I’d enjoy knowing better.
Best,
Estelle
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