SiteYou Ask, We Answer: How do I organize my source e-mails?
Denene asks: “How do you organize your emails from sources? I am working on a project that I’m using dozens of sources for and my email inbox is out of control. It makes me feel anxious just thinking about it. Help!”
I’ve never had an article assignment with so many sources! I typically create a new e-mail box for each article, and every e-mail relating to that article goes in there. However, when I was working on The Renegade Writer’s Query Letters That Rock, which required me to interview dozens of editors and writers, I created a sub-folder within the main assignment e-mail box for each source. I believe you can even create filters so that e-mails from the sources get directed into the correct folders…maybe someone with more experience with filtering can comment here.
When I’m working on an article with multiple sources, I also fill out a special assignment form that I created in Word. (I print out multiple copies of the form and stash them in a hanging file so I can easily grab one when I need it.) At the top of the form are blanks for assignment info (topic, word count, due date, pay, editor’s name and contact info), and underneath that are sections I fill out for each source, which contain blanks for source name, title, company, contact info, date called, interview date/time, and date I sent a thank-you note. The filled-out form goes into the hanging file folder that I created for the assignment (which is where I also put hard copies of my research for that assignment).
Do you have more suggestions for Denene? Please post a comment!
Got a question for the Renegade Writers? Send it to us at questions [at] therenegadewriter [dot] com. [lf]
4 Responses to “You Ask, We Answer: How do I organize my source e-mails?”
You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
Melissa Diskin
Said this on May 1st, 2007 at 10:35am:Folders were my old way of sorting emails. Problems: first, it only works if you do it religiously. Second, you have to put each email in one folder, so that emails that span more than one story/topic/etc have to be put in one place only, and you have to remember where it is when you need it for another topic. This gets harder and harder the more articles you write.
My solution: I find gmail and its labeling tool to be a fantastic antidote to the unwieldy one-to-one folder problem. I can tag incoming emails/conversations with more than one label, so that whenever I search on a label, that email will come up. So I have labels for topics (Food writing, travel writing, etc.) as well as for the magazine or mag section. The tags preclude a clunky folder system and allow multiple access points into an email conversation. There’s a bit of a mental shift if you’re used to thinking of stuff as being in a certain place rather than being tagged, but I overcame this pretty quickly.
I also use a simple table at the bottom of my Word doc to keep track of source info, including name, phone, email, website, assistants, etc… useful for fact-checking and to get copies of the article back to the sources.
Melissa Barton
Said this on May 1st, 2007 at 1:32pm:I guess I’m kind of old-fashioned. I keep a Word document for each assignment (I suppose I might have more than one for a huge assignment) and just paste any email interviews or other relevant correspondence in (with names, phone numbers, etc.) as I get it. The same file holds transcripts of phone or in-person interviews for the assignment, as well as other notes.
My email inbox is ridiculously unwieldy these days, so I don’t think simply labeling interviews in my email would be a good option for me. Also, I tend to prefer phone and in-person interviews whenever possible.
Brian Westover
Said this on May 1st, 2007 at 2:56pm:I do the same thing. I’ll collect all of my research in one place, so that it’s all immediately accessible while working on a project. As for the e-mails themselves, I assign each source a folder, tagged with the specifics. This lets me keep everything straight by name, but still allows me to group things by topic.
greatexpectations
Said this on May 2nd, 2007 at 8:32pm:You never cease to amaze me with your ideas and organization … thanks for the tips, again. I am just beginning to be busy enough that these ideas are coming to me like lightbulbs!