Organisation is a
skill.
As an author of historical fiction and non-fiction I have
learnt the importance in having your research organised and easy to access.
It takes a lot of skill to be organised.
"Skill?"
Really, organisation is a skill?
Yes, I surprised myself with this realisation, so let us now
define the word skill - 'ability to do something well, coming from one's
knowledge, expertness, adeptness, adroitness, deftness, dexterity, ability,
prowess, mastery, competence, competency, capability, efficiency, aptitude,
artistry, art, finesse, flair, virtuosity, experience, professionalism, talent,
cleverness, smartness, ingenuity, versatility, knack, readiness, handiness;
informal know-how' ....phew!
For years I have tried to develop this skill; filing, over
filing, splitting folders into different categories, but what if a subject fits
two different categories, do I link the two some way? What if five kings are
mentioned in the same article and I want to file them separately, or under
their kingdoms or ...
So I buy more folders, (I am old fashioned and love working
with hard copies) and more folders, splitting and filing, and changing my mind
until I am almost in chaos.
Almost!
Almost because at least the research is filed and accessible, however, it appears I am not as skilled
in the art of being organised as I would like and I know I have a lot of work
to do to get there.
I have come to the conclusion: to be organised you need to
have good secretarial skills, a good filing system, be a very tidy person and have
a good working space.
I have none of these.
I decided to do a quick search online to see what other authors might suggest - this one amused me - 'File all loose papers in the appropriate place.'
... and we are back to square one!
I decided to do a quick search online to see what other authors might suggest - this one amused me - 'File all loose papers in the appropriate place.'
... and we are back to square one!
Lovely read Margaret, amazing what we see but sometimes take very little notice of, You appear to have captured every little detail
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words. Sorry for late reply.
ReplyDelete