Bring Order to Creative Chaos:
Project Management for Writers
Develop a clear writing project plan so you can stop wondering if, how, and when you will finish your book!
What If…
…instead of holding your entire book project in your head, Notes app, or random sticky notes on your desk, you had one place to corral all your to-dos?
…you never had to wonder when the heck you’re going to finish your book?
…you had a clear idea of who, what, and why you’re writing, so that you can quickly and easily decide whether a new idea has merit or is just a distraction?
With Bring Order to Creative Chaos: Project Management for Writers, there’s no need to agonize over how to keep yourself on track with your book project. You’ll learn how to create and stick to a project plan that fits into your own writing schedule in just a few hours.
User Reviews
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Great pace of content and the tools are magic! It's fun to see the dates calculate. It's heartening and inspiring. Makes the project feel real and do-able! The most useful thing was learning how to approach the many amorphous tasks around writing a book with a practical, realistic approach. I feel like it inspires creativity, because I'm more excited to complete a task and move on to the next one.
Abigail Raeke
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Kerry’s tool is magic. When I use it to set up goals for my project, work gets done. Just the act of filling in her sheets allows my brain to turn away from stress and uncertainty to concentrate on the tasks I’ve listed. Pages get written, edits get edited, and ideas flow. My favorite metric si the percentage to completion. I love watching that number tick upward. It’s a great feeling!
Terri Thayer
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Thank you for this course. I'm grateful to have found it! Learning how to take the steps in order to plan a project was very useful and I definitely plan to use the scheduling tool!
C.A.
What if there was a way to:
Develop a plan to show you EXACTLY how to get across the finish line
Create dedicated time in your schedule to work on your book project and show up for yourself consistently
Put a few simple parameters in place to help FREE your creativity and put it to work where it really counts: on the book itself!
Follow a simple strategy to create a thorough and easy-to-use plan
Stay motivated because you can see the light at the end of the tunnel
Return order and clarity to your book project
Tell me if any of these ring true:
Making a project plan isn’t going to help me actually finish
I can’t possibly plan my creative process or creative time; it comes when it comes
I’m not a planner, it takes away my creativity
I’m not good at planning my time (or anything else) so I couldn’t possibly come up with a plan for my book
I can’t stick to a schedule so why bother?
I don’t have time to make a whole complicated plan
I can’t spend money on this because I should be able to figure it out by myself
What You Get
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Nine video lessons that walk you through defining project management, developing a novel strategy, building a project schedule, and keeping yourself on track from start to finish!
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Three companion workbooks that help you define your own Novel Strategy, set a S.M.A.R.T. goal for your project, and create your to-do lists so that you can build your project plan with confidence.
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Three project schedule tool spreadsheets that even spreadsheet-phobic folks will find easy to use! I walk you step-by-step through using the work you’ve already done to build a clear and actionable plan with real dates so you can see the finish line!
What exactly is inside
Lesson 1
A brief overview of the course contents and what to expect
Lesson 2
What is project management, why it is useful, and how employing the skills and techniques of project management can help you.
Lesson 3
What I mean by novel ‘strategy’ and three critical questions to answer before you start writing.
Lesson 4
What exactly a S.M.A.R.T. goal is, how to create one for your project, and how to use and adapt it as needed throughout your project.
Lesson 5
A breakdown of the different elements of a project schedule and how to use them.
Lesson 6
Create the building blocks of your schedule/plan: tasks.
Lesson 7
Step-by-step instructions on how to use the project schedule tool that comes with this course. This sheet does all the math for you so you can see a roadmap, with dates, for your project from start to finish.
Lesson 8
How to get started, how to stay on track, and how to close out a project when you finish!
Lesson 9
Congratulations! And next steps
*Due to the digital nature of this course, there will be no refunds after purchase.
Hi! I’m Kerry
I’m a writer, certified book coach, and long-time editor and project manager. I’ve been shepherding projects across the finish line for more than 20 years; I know what makes successful projects and I’ve problem-solved my way out of any number of pitfalls.
I’ve heard many writers - clients and friends - say at one point or another, “I just wish someone would tell me what to do” or “I would LOVE to know when I will be done with this freaking thing!” (Said with plenty of love and some exasperation.) I’ve also muddled my way through my own first novel, not quite realizing that the skills and principles I learned to get textbooks to the printers and new websites launched could help me. It wasn’t until Jennie Nash of Author Accelerator suggested that I use my project management background that it all started to coalesce.
I created the Bring Order to Creative Chaos: Project Management for Writers course so that I could share these skills with my fellow writers. My goal is to help you at every stage of your book project: to make crystal clear what needs to be done and then develop a schedule that works with the time you have. You’ll know what to do when and when you will be DONE.
Tell me what to do! You’ve got it - a to-do list that summarizes exactly what needs to happen.
Tell me when I’ll be done. Absolutely! Plug in those tasks and a couple of numbers and voila! A step-by-step plan WITH DATES.
✺ Frequently asked questions ✺
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You can watch all the videos in the course in less than 90 minutes. Filling out the workbook companions will vary greatly, depending on how much thinking you’ve already done on your book project. Once you have your Task list, generating your project schedule should take you 15-30 minutes.
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Absolutely not! Once you purchase, you’ll be given access to the course. Each lesson is in a video format that lives on the web, so all you need is internet access and a browser (which you already have if you’re reading this page). All the workbook companions to the course come in both printable or fillable PDF formats, so you can choose which works best for you. The spreadsheet scheduling tool is a Google Sheet but I have a detailed lesson that walks you through how to use it step-by-step. There’s also a ‘cheat sheet’ how-to in the tool itself for easy reference. And lastly, I’m always available via email and will do my best to help resolve any tech issues, though I can’t guarantee anything (some issues are beyond my control).
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Forever! At some point in the future, I may limit access to a certain period of time, but your purchase means that any and all future updates and versions will be available to you as long as this course lives on the internet.
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Welcome, friend! You are human. I’ve never had a schedule run smoothly from start to finish with no changes - it’s part of the process of any project. In fact, the point of doing this work is to create a plan that is flexible and adaptable and can be updated when it needs to be. If it’s not working, don’t dump it - update it! I’ll walk you through exactly how to do this.
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Absolutely not! You don’t have to be a planner to take advantage of what you learn in this course. Building a strategy and a project plan are not the same as the detailed outlines that make pantsers among us break out in hives. What you learn here will give you a few high-level guidelines in order to free up your creativity to focus where its most effective - on your book itself!
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No problem, I’ve got you! I have a special offer for folks that take this course - a special rate for a 90 minute 1:1 coaching session to unstick you.
In just a few hours, develop a clear writing project plan so you can stop wondering if, how, and when you will finish your book!