Poem Recordkeeping

[Angeline]

I have spent the past few days creating what is turning out to be an elaborate system for keeping track of my poems. My reason for diving into this minutia is that I am planning a major poem submissions onslaught after Labor Day, when all those unsuspecting literary journal editors come back from vacation and start accepting stuff again. (Many print publications won't take submissions over the summer).

This process has been quite an eye opener for me. I'm finding poems I had forgotten about completely. Some of them are--I think--beyond salvation, some will improve with revision, and some are even good, lol, but the bottom line is that I have lots of poems that I'm trying to track. I'm interested not only in listing what I have, but in coding them (you knew I'm pretty nerdy, right?) so I can quickly identify categories such as:

--free verse or traditional form

--illustrated or not

--revised or not

--erotic or non

--submitted for publication and where, status,

and so on.

I know I'm not the only one here who tries to write most days or who is submitting poems for publication (far from it, I'm sure). Does anyone else keep formal records? If so, how do you do it--in word processing or on a spreadsheet like Lotus? Do you try to classify what you write and, if so, in what kinds of categories? Do you save back-ups of your poems on floppies or cds? Got any advice about it? I'm just interested in what others do about this. Maybe we can learn from each other. All comments are appreciated! (Well except maybe stuff like "Man are you obsessive! Take a tranquilizer! and uh so forth.)

Ange

 

[Guest]

 

[WickedEve]

I have my poems on CD and on my hard drive. I keep them in text docs A-Z. I have an index for finding them since there are so many docs. And I have some on my site. The ones on the site are in categories. And now I'm trying to list anything significant about them like contest winner or whatever, because I'm starting to lose track.
I just started submitting them to e-zines this month. I'm keeping a record of what and where and when before that gets out of control.

 

[WickedEve]

Oh, I just remembered that I recently stored my docs on my site just incase something goes wrong with the comp. or all the CDs break. lol
And p-poetess, I've been meaning to print mine out on paper too. I don't trust technology enough. I want to hold my poetry in my hands on a good, solid sheet of paper!

 

[Guest]

 

[Angeline]

Ooooh this is great!

I'm learning already! I do have my poems saved on cd (in a big jumble, but I'm redoing them alphabetically), but now I'm going to print them out. And I have to buy those plastic sheet protector thingies and a cool notebook, too. LOL. I'll go broke doing this--it's not like poets get actual *money* or anything (well some do, but my name's not Billy Collins. )

Maybe I'll end up like a crazed graduate student who keeps a copy of her phd dissertation in the freezer in case of fire--except I have no room in my freezer because my kids have it all jammed up with popsicles and stuff. Hmmmm.

Say darkmaas, baby? Can you keep 400 pages or so in your freezer for me?

 

[ag2507]

Poems go into a single subdirectory under My Documents: I got fed up trying to train Word to do something that I wanted to do.

For submission I have a totally seperate database that lets me track submissions, responses, what was published where etc. I Cut andPast poems into here and then useit to automatically format a poem for submission. Addressed, unaddressed, addressed and unaddressed, reading book.

I have one big binder, my reading book, that treks about with me for poetry readings etc. That is kept in strict chronological order.

AG

 

[The_Fool]

I was looking for a vote button that said "I have shit all over the place and couldn't find it anymore than a fart in a strong wind." No such button. I have some electronic.....in several different places. I have some that are posted only. I have some that are nicely typed in a folder in a filing cabinet. I have all kinds of shit in about sixteen different notebooks and then I have scribbles on the back of envelopes, bar napkins, cereal boxes....okay, no cereal boxes, but you get the picture. After doing this for longer than I care to admit, its interesting to back and look at them. I usually have the same comment, "Dayum, did I really write that shit?" The facial expression changes from poem to poem, however.

 

[OT]

I keep meaning to get around to an organized filing system. I even half-started writing my own database program to not only organize stuff but also have a "poetry helper" function for some of the more rigorous forms (e.g. third line repeats in the 5th and seventh, or whatever), do syllable counts, rhyming dictionary ...

Until I get around to it, my folder called "stuff" will have to do. Sorting by name and by date is surprisingly effective. A good grep function is really all I'm missing (and even that, since I tend to save everything as flat text is very doable if I every seriously can't find something).

Any notes, like when written or submitted to Lit are kept within each file.

Every now and then I tend to zip it all up and put it somewhere for safe keeping.

 

[Guest]

 

[Angeline]

I was looking for a vote button that said "I have shit all over the place and couldn't find it anymore than a fart in a strong wind." No such button. I have some electronic.....in several different places. I have some that are posted only. I have some that are nicely typed in a folder in a filing cabinet. I have all kinds of shit in about sixteen different notebooks and then I have scribbles on the back of envelopes, bar napkins, cereal boxes....okay, no cereal boxes, but you get the picture. After doing this for longer than I care to admit, its interesting to back and look at them. I usually have the same comment, "Dayum, did I really write that shit?" The facial expression changes from poem to poem, however.

Thanks a lot, guy. You just made me snort a very lovely chardonnay from laughing. My nose still hurts.

I have a confession--the only reason there was no vote button for:

"Who the hell knows?"

is because my kid was yapping at me about some nonsense (yes, yes I love her very much, but you know how it is), and I pushed Enter too damn soon.

I have a box with poems in it going back many years--none of these gems are on my computer. I was thinking about scanning in the good poems, but I started looking through the box and finding stuff like articles about pep rallies and the homecoming dance that I wrote for my high school newspaper. I felt like Pandora, lol. The memories were rushing out and terrifying me. I had to put it away.

 

[Angeline]

to not only organize stuff but also have a "poetry helper" function for some of the more rigorous forms (e.g. third line repeats in the 5th and seventh, or whatever), do syllable counts, rhyming dictionary ...

You frighten me sometimes.


A.

 

[Cordelia]

Ack!

You all scare me.

I write all my poetry on paper. The ones that get posted to online places or get emailed to others make it to the computer.

I have 3 separate and vastly different filing systems: One organized one on the computer, one loosely organized in a file cabinet drawer, and a stack of notebooks that glare at me every day.

<sigh>

I am too lazy (and my arthritis too dicey) to type everything out onto the computer.

Anyone want to be hired to type for me? I'm very nice and I have good wine on hand...

Not holding my breath,


Cordelia

 

[The_Fool]

Thanks a lot, guy. You just made me snort a very lovely chardonnay from laughing. My nose still hurts.

Chardonnay - drink....mysterious white powder - snort

I have a confession--the only reason there was no vote button for:

"Who the hell knows?"

is because my kid was yapping at me about some nonsense (yes, yes I love her very much, but you know how it is), and I pushed Enter too damn soon.

You have kids that talk to you? Must be young…

I have a box with poems in it going back many years--none of these gems are on my computer. I was thinking about scanning in the good poems, but I started looking through the box and finding stuff like articles about pep rallies and the homecoming dance that I wrote for my high school newspaper. I felt like Pandora, lol. The memories were rushing out and terrifying me. I had to put it away.

I knew there was a reason God made Alzhiemer’s…..

 

[The_Fool]

I keep meaning to get around to an organized filing system. I even half-started writing my own database program to not only organize stuff but also have a "poetry helper" function for some of the more rigorous forms (e.g. third line repeats in the 5th and seventh, or whatever), do syllable counts, rhyming dictionary ...

Until I get around to it, my folder called "stuff" will have to do. Sorting by name and by date is surprisingly effective. A good grep function is really all I'm missing (and even that, since I tend to save everything as flat text is very doable if I every seriously can't find something).

Any notes, like when written or submitted to Lit are kept within each file.

Every now and then I tend to zip it all up and put it somewhere for safe keeping.

You do know that UNIX is a four letter word. Right?

 

[KillerMuffin]

I, um, use Microsoft Access 2000. I've got a database where I have keep info on stuff that I write (poetry, stories, etc). I can run reports to see what's finished, what's not finished, what's not published, what is published, who owes me money, and stuff. I also have a submission tracker, contest tracker, contacts list, conferences list, organization list, and then a small list of what it is that I write. Couple that with Money and I can make the IRS auditor guy happy. It's really suave and debonair in a computer geek pathetic way.

I think the least amount of recordkeeping a writer should do is a submission tracker if they submit to more than one or two places--especially if it's via snail mail.

 

[Angeline]

Poetic Geekery

Thank you Muffie; your info is very helpful. You make a really good point about having good info available for income tax auditors, should that unhappy event occur. And your detailed tracking system may be geeky indeed, but as a friend of mine is fond of saying, "the geek shall inherit the earth."