Pop the Cork (Board)! By Nevada McPherson
Let’s welcome back monthly columnist Nevada McPherson as she shares with us “Pop the Cork (Board)!” Enjoy!
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Hello again! How are things going for you in this new year?
I’ve been taking stock of things post-holiday break and doing some thinking about what I want to accomplish for the rest of the winter months.
Consistency
One thing I absolutely need to re-commit to is consistency, which sounds simple enough but can be difficult at times. I’m about to launch the print version of one of my e-books and I’ve come up with a new plan to launch part three of my graphic latest novel. To do these things effectively I have to get back to drawing every day, and posting more consistently to social media.
I’ve revamped my web site and replaced all my profile pics, and I’m re-launching the blog on my site and archiving my older posts. I’m preparing to start a new YouTube channel, which will require consistent posting as well.
As for writing every day, I have to get back to revisions for my NaNoWriMo project I completed just before the end of last year—much more work to do on that, but just in the nick of time I received my new copy of Save the Cat! Writes a Novel by Jessica Brody, which applies the principles discussed in Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat book about effective screenplay structure, to novel writing.
To-Do Lists
I’m one of those folks who’s constantly making to-do lists but those lists are no good at all without actions steps so I’ve created a cork board – not one that I work with on the computer, but an actual one that requires cards with actions on them and push-pins or thumb tacks.
Again, that’s no good without action, but there’s something I like about the act of maintaining my cork board, keeping things moving along with new actions to pin as I complete each small goal and create new cards with new activities.
I have a section for each project and next steps for each project. I’ve just started this in January so I’ll let you know how things continue to progress and whether this really keeps me on track for the long term.
If you have a cork board or bulletin board that you like to update to keep you moving forward, let me know how it’s going for you, or about any new ideas for staying on track in 2019.
Pinning
I know many of us like to “pin” things on Pinterest but this kind of pinning with its hands-on elements provides a mini-creative outlet that opens up into larger ones, ultimately giving shape to our most cherished creative projects.
I hope your projects are percolating right along and that it only gets better as winter gives way to spring. In the meantime, enjoy all that the cold months have to offer along with a cup of hot chocolate and cozy slippers. That’s what I plan to do!
Happy writing!
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nevada McPherson lives with her husband Bill and rescue Chihuahua, Mitzi in Milledgeville, Georgia, where she is an associate professor of Humanities at Georgia Military College. Nevada received a BA in English/Creative Writing and an MFA in Screenwriting from Louisiana State University-Baton Rouge. She has written over a dozen feature-length screenplays, plays, short stories and the graphic novels, Uptowners and Piano Lessons. Queensgate, the sequel to Uptowners, is her third graphic novel. For more information, visit www.nevada-mcpherson.com.
