The Renegade Writer Blog

Jennifer sent me a photo of her office space. I noticed that she had a couple of horizontal slots in the bookcase that sits on her desk. I guessed that this is where paper piles up. Clutter loves those horizontal surfaces!
I suggested that she designate one slot for incoming papers that she has yet to [...]

Jennifer asked me if I had a suggestion for a good contact manager software program or electronic rolodex.
I use Outlook for my contact manager and it works fine for me. If I were to purchase one, I would purchase ACT since so many people over the years have recommended it.
I like the Task Manager feature [...]

Jennifer asked for tips for maintaining determination and perseverance during a time that can be filled fatigue, frustration and a lack of confidence. She says, “The toughest time really is now and it can be difficult when there is nothing tangible to show for it (like $$$). So I guess I’m looking for tips that [...]

Jen asked for ideas for a query tracking system. “It doesn’t have to be too fancy,” she says. “Just something that helps me keep track of what I’m doing and when to follow up.”
Okay. Let’s keep in mind that there’s no one right way to do this, except what is right for you. That said, [...]

One of Jennifer’s makeover goals is to develop a organization system for the market information she collects. Like most writers, Jen gets volumes of market information from a variety of sources: books, magazines, websites, e-mails, and more. Her ideal system would be computer-based, with a binder-system as a backup. Right now, she says she just [...]

Now if you are like me, after fuming over the bad luck you’ve had recently you try to find the silver lining. Not having my computer for a week taught me a lot about my computer habits. I paid attention to the times I really missed my computer and why. I realized that aside from [...]

by Jennifer Applin 
Well, actually in some ways it has been a bad month. We’ve had to replace our microwave, dryer, digital camera and then on Monday my computer died. Of course I had to fork out money to find out that my computer was shot and I needed to replace it. That was Monday morning and by Monday [...]