Menu Close

Tag: life

What Lies on the Horizon

Tracey Dyck 35 Comments

This new year is something I’ve been thinking about a lot. Not just in terms of goals and resolutions, but in terms of where my heart is and what lies on the horizon. And it’s finally time to catch some of those whirring, buzzing, humming fragments of thoughts. Time to string them together into something to share with you, because I’m a firm believer in the strength we can find in each other’s journeys. I wouldn’t blog if I didn’t think that somehow, some way, the tangling threads of our stories matter to each other.

Last January, I set some lofty goals, writing-wise. (You can see them in detail HERE, if you’re so inclined.) Another thing in which I am a believer is the value of looking forward to set goals, and looking back to see how far you’ve come. So before we look ahead, let’s pause and turn around for a moment.

2017 goals

Finish the first draft of The Prophet’s Key. Nope. Didn’t make it. But I added 17,000 words to the rewrite I’d started in 2016, bringing the total word count up to 100k. I ground to a halt there, realizing just how bloated and huge the story was becoming. A course correction was needed, but at that point, leadership college was ramping up like crazy and I decided to put the project aside.


Began expanding The Brightest Thread into a novel. Check!


Go to Realm Makers. Another check! That was an incredible dream come true, one I hope to see come true again this summer.


Write, edit, and submit a story for Rooglewood Press’s contest. Surprisingly, check again. Mirrors Never Lie is on some judge’s desk right now, I imagine.


Complete the first draft of The Brightest Thread and do a round or two of edits so that it’s poised to move forward (aka maybe get published) in 2018. First draft–check. A round or two-ish of edits earns another check. And is the novel “poised to move forward” now? I’d say it’s poised to move into another round of edits, that’s for sure, and then . . . well, we’ll get to that in a minute.


Finish The Creative Way writing course by Ted Dekker. Um . . . no. This kept getting pushed back due to one reason or another, and I still have a handful of lessons to complete.


Possibly begin querying agents for TBT. I dipped my toes in the water by pitching it at the Realm Makers conference, but subsequently sent it to beta readers, knowing the novel needed more work. So querying didn’t happen last year.

All in all, four out of seven, plus some progress on a couple of uncompleted goals, isn’t bad!
Here’s where I would turn my hopeful attention toward this year’s list of aspirations . . . But again, we’ll get to that soon.
The past two Januarys, I’ve set aggressive timelines for my writing goals. And there is a place for those kinds of plans. I don’t regret pushing myself past my limits. Yes, I danced on the edge of burnout some weeks, but I learned valuable lessons about pacing myself, working hard, writing when the inspiration is gone, working under deadlines, juggling responsibilities, and what healthy (and unhealthy) creative practices look like. It was great!
But this year, I’ve realized I need to recognize what season of life I’m in. I am a student. And I won’t be in school forever, so rather than resist the demanding schedule and the responsibilities, I want to thrive. That means balance. That means reframing school from a burden into a passion. That means taking care of myself by carving out pleasure reading and making sure I get enough sleep. That means soaking in time with family and saying yes to friends when I can (instead of no, sorry, I’m busy, come back when I graduate).
But the biggest dream I have for 2018, the one thing that I am finally allowing to overshadow everything else . . . is my friendship with God.
It’s a little crazy, how even a year of Bible/leadership college didn’t cause me to become more intentional about spending time with Him. I read my Bible every morning because we were given class time for it–which was so good, don’t get me wrong–but the habit somehow didn’t transfer to my home life. In fact, ever since leaving high school and wading into the big, wide world of adulthood, I feel like my devotion time has been irregular.
But busyness is a lousy excuse. (And please, before I go further, don’t take this as a guilt trip for yourself! I simply want to be honest with what’s been going through my head lately!) I am a quester, a pursuer, a dreamer, and a doer by nature. Give me a goal, and I will plot, list, track, and work my way toward it, for better or for worse. (This is not always a positive, guys.) But being a doer is little good if I’m not doing the right things in the right order. If I can devote myself to a novel I’m writing and show up day after day even if the well runs dry, can’t I put the same energy into flipping open my Bible every day?
Yet this is about more than doing–although I do want to redirect that trait–this is about a relationship.
This is about Jesus being the first name on my lips in the morning and the last thought before I fall asleep.
This is about a dialogue with my Creator, the Lover of my soul.
This is about looking for Him in the everyday moments.
This is about being aware that He is here, always, and even if emotions run their own course I am never cut off from His love.
This is about a single-minded, single-hearted pursuit.
This is about seeking one kingdom above all others, and yet–
I don’t know how to get there. I want to, badly, but it’s not something you work up on your own or even work towards at all. It’s less about my hands doing something, and more about my heart doing something. The only labor involved is that of laboring to “enter into that rest.”
What I know right now is that every time I have hungered for more of God and cried out for a deeper knowing of Him, He has responded. And every time, all it took was asking . . . and then putting one foot in front of the other with my eyes open for an answer. Another thing I know right now is that I miss digging into the Word.

And those two things I know for sure? They’re interconnected.
So my planning/listing/doing side is happy to have discovered a really cool Bible reading plan in the back of my new copy of The Voice translation. It’s a plan that takes me slowly through the Bible in three years instead of one. That’s exactly what I need right now, just a quiet, thoughtful walk through Scripture. It’s not even chronological–in the past two weeks, I’ve dipped in and out of Genesis, Job, Psalms, and Proverbs. This plan takes up only 40 weeks a year, leaving time to investigate some suggested readings for Easter and Advent. So it’s not a high pressure thing, and so far I’m loving it.
I’m journaling as I go, just jotting down whatever means something to me today, rather than trying to encompass everything as if I’m writing a scholarly essay. I’m rediscovering glimpses of this great narrative God has been weaving throughout history, and I’m stumbling upon little bits of it that are woven into my own life today.
Am I a changed person? Am I on some spiritual mountain right now? No. But this is slowly, surely being built into a habit, and I hope that the more I do it, the more it will pervade my thoughts and attitudes throughout the day.
It’s a simple thing: seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things–all these dreams and lists and goals–will be added to you. This year, I want to actually try that, and not just fool myself into thinking I’m already doing it.
If you’re anticipating some grandiose announcement of a hiatus, that’s not coming! I’m not scrapping anything entirely, just shifting some priorities around. Like I said, I need to give myself room to enjoy my school studies and get back into a regular daily time with God.
So for the next few months, writing is taking a backseat. It’s not out of the car entirely, but it’s not the driver right now. Here’s what I’m aiming for:
January-April: Slowly start organizing the beta feedback on The Brightest Thread. Possibly start working on a secret project I hinted at a couple months ago, which is still stewing in my mind. Possibly try my hand at some flash fiction to submit to magazines and whatnot. I’m giving myself the freedom to be sporadic and to take time off whenever needed. This is going to be playtime, not work time.
May-August: Edit The Brightest Thread. Assemble a list of literary agents and actually start querying. Attend Realm Makers in St. Louis (hopefully!!!) and pitch TBT again there. Finish The Creative Way course. Get that secret project off the ground for real. Maybe even make some tweaks to the blog to spiff it up and make it look more professional. It’ll be summer, which means there will be time to power through some goals!
September-December: Totally depends on how the previous goals are going. Likely, I’ll continue querying TBT, working on the secret project, and who knows? I might even be in a good spot to start casually planning my next novel. I’ll be back in school, so I may ease off a bit again, though.

that’s our heart-to-heart for today, friends.

I kind of hesitated to talk about the deep stuff, because I know things like prayer and devotions are highly personal (and I’ve been guilt-tripped by well-meaning writers and bloggers before, which I wanted to avoid here), and maybe you’re not into that to begin with . . . But I think it’s a good and healthy thing to be honest with each other. We’ve all been through dry spells, all struggled to form good habits in this area. And I couldn’t talk about my writing goals without talking about why my approach is different this year.

What are YOU aiming for and dreaming about for 2018? Big or small, deep or more superficial, I’d love to hear it!

Keep Reading

Subplots and Storylines – December 2017 // Year-End Recap

Tracey Dyck 29 Comments

Hello, my friends! December is winding to a close and 2018 is nearly upon us. It has certainly been quite the year, and there’s much to talk about today. I’ll try to keep the December subplots relatively short in order to save room for a look back on the year as a whole! (Does anybody else feel ridiculously self-centered when dedicating an entire post to themselves and their own life? No? Just me? Okay. Moving on.)

Storylines of Life

It was a simple equation this month. Exams + Christmas = December. But I’ll give you a bit more detail than that! My brother, Josiah (who also blogs!), had a birthday. And then I had a week of final exams, during which I buried myself in textbooks and sighed wistfully for Christmas and at last passed first term with very satisfying grades. That means I’m a quarter of the way to graduating, woohoo! I’ve been on break since then, but between work and family gatherings and a baby shower, it’s been a full month. Only in the last few days have I finally slowed down.

Christmas itself was wonderful. I had four days off in a row to spend with family. We went to our church service on Christmas Eve and then opened stockings and swapped ticket gifts. My middle sister Chloe (who is also a fellow blogger!) gave each of us a piece of original artwork. What she drew for me was Hadrian and Luci, the two main characters of my novel The Brightest Thread. I’ve never received fanart before, so this made my day!

Aren’t they the cutest?! (Sorry about the bothersome watermark–I just wanted
to keep her artwork protected.)

On Christmas Day, I slept in and then we gathered around for homemade apple scones and a reading of the Christmas story, followed by our leisurely way of unwrapping gifts–one at a time, captured on video. It was slow and relaxing and so much fun.

Aaaand like the good little bookdragon I am, I’m sharing my bookhaul! My brother gave me The Tournament at Gorlan (hooray for Ranger’s Apprentice prequels!). My parents gave me the first three Lunar Chronicles books (been eyeing them at the bookstore for months), Wanted: A Superhero to Save the World (not pictured because it’s still in the mail–phooey on Amazon), and Steal Like an Artist (which looks utterly inspiring and is sure to kickstart my new year of writing). I also threw my new Leuchtturm into the picture because it’s going to be my 2018 bullet journal! And my first two Funko Pops ever: Frodo Baggins and Captain America. Oh, and one other nerdy gift I received that is also not pictured was a S.T.A.R. Labs sweatshirt–I now feel like I’m part of Team Flash, and that’s awesome.

Subplots on the Screen

As far as TV shows go, I picked up Avatar: The Last Airbender with my sisters again and watched two more episodes. I also saw more of season 3 of The Flash (it’s getting extremely feelsy, you guys, and I might not survive). I rewatched more of Once Upon a Time season 3 and started season 6 at last!

Wonder Woman


A rewatch with a friend from school, because we needed to give our exam-addled brains a break. Just as amazing as the first time!



Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides


Lo and behold, this PotC movie miiiight be my new favorite! I found the plots of the first three excessively complicated in some regards–maybe I just need to rewatch them–but this one was more straightforward. No less chaotic, however; it’s Jack Sparrow, after all! I really liked the new character Philip (which has nothing to do with Finnick from the Hunger Games, nope, not at all . . .) even if he was a bit sappy in regards to Syrena. It seems rare for a missionary character like Philip to be painted in a positive light, so I appreciated that!



Cars 3

The Cars franchise has had some ups and downs lately, but I found this one to be a truly solid sequel! It had just the right balance of nostalgic nods to the first movie and new direction to breathe some fresh air into the story. Cruze was a cute addition, and I quite liked the mentor relationship between her and Lightning. One scene in the middle, which I won’t spoil for you, had me laughing out loud like a kid.

Storylines on the Page

Hollow City // Ransom Riggs

I read the first book almost exactly a year ago, so I was a bit fuzzy on things going into this sequel. Thankfully there was a character guide at the front, or else it would’ve taken me even longer to get the eight main peculiar children straight in my head! Once I did, however, the book was pretty interesting.

I liked the new flavor of this one, with a much broader setting, and a very clear and definite goal for the characters. What can I say? Quests are one of my favorite things! Each of the children got to have an important moment in which they helped the group in some way with their abilities, which helped keep this large cast necessary and active. (Ahem, my writer side is showing.) Time loops, gypsies, bombed London, wights, trains, chase scenes . . . it was certainly a unique read, and I look forward to the finale! 4 stars.

The Phantom Tollbooth // Norton Juster (5)

I already gushed over this book in a recent post, but it’s officially a 5 star book! Philosophical without being overpowering, equal parts delightful and wise, and simply a joy read. This is a new favorite!

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King // William Joyce

I loved the movie Rise of the Guardians, and have been wanting to try the Middle-Grade book series for quite some time, so Christmas seemed like the ideal season to start. This book is wildly imaginative, and I do mean wild! There’s a lot going on. Ancient spaceships, wizards, the magical haven of Santoff Klaussen, Pitch’s nightmare creatures, a robotic djinni, Russian bandits, Santa’s origin story, Yetis . . . But that’s precisely what would’ve captured my attention as a kid!

What I loved now as an adult were the fun characters, especially North himself and dear little Katherine. The two make an unlikely and adorable pair. 4 stars.

The Maze Runner // James Dashner


My youngest sister (yes, she ALSO is a blogger–I’m just linking to all my sibs today!) was very eager for me to read this book. I’m actually in the middle of it right now, but I aim to finish it before New Year’s! At first, I didn’t fully connect with the writing style, but now things are getting exciting, so I’m able to look past it. And I want more Newt, please! Also Minho! (I’m estimating that this will be a 4 star read for me–we’ll see!)

Subplots on My Writing Desk

I edited Mirrors Never Lie through two or three drafts this month, and submitted it to Rooglewood Press at last! Hooray! That moment before hitting send is always a little nerve-wracking. I know the story is not 100% perfect . . . but I also know that I did the best I could given the time constraints.

Now that it’s officially off my plate, I am free of writing deadlines for a little while! More on that in a future post, probably. I have some thoughts percolating in regards to 2018 and goals and writing and whatnot.

That was December! It was a good month, especially the second half. So much for keeping this post short, though, because here comes the recap . . .

Later on I’ll be dedicating a whole post to the books I read in 2017, so for now we’ll chat just about the highlights of life and writing and such.

life in 2017

I could look back on 2017 and consider it to have been a busy year, and that would be true. But I kind of hate that word–so instead I choose to see it as a full year. 365 days of adventure, in every risky, messy, exciting, monotonous, challenging, stretching sense of the word. Here’s the highlight reel.

I ran a spring break day camp with my classmates at leadership college. That experience was the most stressful and the most rewarding part of college, and it taught me countless lessons about being a leader. Stuff comes out of you under pressure–some of it good, some of it surprising. After three months of preparation, we threw ourselves into that week, and made lasting memories with the kids.

I went to Calgary and Banff, also with my classmates. Beautiful places, fond memories, good food, and a breath of fresh air for my soul.

I graduated leadership college and said goodbye to nine incredible months.

I went to the Realm Makers conference in Reno, Nevada. So many firsts! First time flying, first time traveling internationally by myself, first writing conference, first time meeting some lovely internet friends, first time pitching to agents . . .

I took a vacation with my fam jam at a cozy cabin in the northern U.S. After a whirlwind of activity, that was a much-needed time of relaxation and fun.

I saw the band Skillet in concert. And my ears were ringing for the next twenty-four hours, but it was worth it.

I turned 22.

I completed my first term of business classes at college. I learned some really practical things–and some things I’ll never use again–but it will be a steppingstone toward what I want for the future.

writing in 2017

I wrote 17,000 words in a rewrite of The Prophet’s Key, book 2 in my multi-world fantasy series. That was all in January, before I put it aside to focus on another project.

I expanded the novella of The Brightest Thread, my reimagining of Sleeping Beauty, into a novel of almost 70,000 words. I edited it a couple of times, pitched it at Realm Makers, and when I came home I sent it out to a group of AMAZING beta readers.

I wrote and edited Mirrors Never Lie for Rooglewood Press’s Five Poisoned Apples contest. (Final wordcount was 19,962 for anyone who cares about such stats.) This novella is a loose retelling of Snow White, involving a Nordic fantasy setting, seven huntsmen, and a mirror laced with unkindly magic.

I also wrote two poems–maybe three if you count the post hey dreamer. Definitely didn’t do as many writing prompts or poems as last year, due to an intense focus on TBT.

And here on Adventure Awaits, I published 56 posts. One blogging highlight was co-hosting the second annual Silmarillion Awards, which was just as epic as the previous year’s. As a whole, I feel like I haven’t been able to give you, my followers, the dedication I wanted to this year, but I thank you for understanding the fullness of my season of life. Stick around–there are fun things in store!

(If you made it to the end of this monstrously long post, good on ya, mate.)

2017, you were a year that pushed me past my limits. You were groundbreaking–not in the sensational sense of the word, but in the sense of calloused hands tilling the earth. Breaking new ground. Every time I reached the end of myself and thought I surely couldn’t go further, God proved me wrong and provided the strength for just one more step.

A chance to attend Realm Makers was an answer to prayer; so was getting into college this fall, after being told they had no room for me. Sometimes in the daily grind, it’s easy to feel like dreams aren’t anywhere close to being fulfilled . . . but when I look back, I can see there was never anything to fear.

2018, let’s see what you have in store! Dear readers, how was your year?

Keep Reading

Turtle Cookies, a Book About Thinking, and a Friendly Chat

Tracey Dyck 24 Comments
[via Pinterest]

Happy Saturday, friends! Right now, I’m curled up in the corner of the couch, with the Christmas lights on and carols playing in the background and family members quietly chatting and doing their own things throughout the house. It’s relaxing–which is wonderful after a week of final exams. I plan to soak in every minute of this break from school!

I’ve got time-specific posts planned for the next few weeks*, but nothing for today. So I thought, “Rather than hearing me yabbering on for a thousand words or so, why don’t I find out how all my Adventure Awaits pals are doing?” I don’t get the chance to make it to all of your lovely blogs as often as I’d like–and some of you are faithful commenters without blogs–so how about we sit down for a virtual coffee/chai/eggnog/whatever, and simply chat?

*In case you were wondering: something about Christmas on Dec. 23rd, Subplots and Storylines/yearly summary on Dec. 30th, and books of 2017 sometime in early January.

a view of the backyard

snow

Tell me–does it look like you’ll get a white Christmas? I’ve noticed a number of my southern friends from America are rejoicing over uncharacteristic snowfalls. It’s pretty average here in Manitoba . . . We had a lovely snow just recently that dressed the yard in fluffy white goodness. It’s putting me in a Narnia mood, to be honest.

Christmas

Everybody’s counting down the days and rushing  to finish last-minute shopping. But I hope you get to relax at least a little this holiday season. Do you have gatherings? Recitals? Other fun Christmas-y activities? What’s one of your Christmas traditions, if you have any?
One of mine is getting a new tree ornament from my parents every year. This year’s is a little white teapot with a blue paisley pattern, and the tag of a tiny “teabag” hanging out the top. It’s properly adorable! I love tea–certain kinds, with chai being my main favorite–and this ornament goes with a different year’s book ornament that’s lying open with a cup propped on the pages.

break

Many of you are high school or college/uni students, so I imagine you’re on break now, or will be shortly! Hallelujah! How did exams go? And for those of you in post-NaNoWriMo hibernation, are you recovering?


Christmas food

[source]
(Because I can’t stop talking about Christmas today, apparently.)

I went over to my classmate’s house one day during exam week, and we spent half the day studying, baking cookies, listening to Christmas music and Owl City, and watching Wonder Woman. Our shortbread cookies were rather epic. I brought over my family’s cookie cutters, which are all normal, traditional Christmas shapes. A tree, a star, a candy cane, a gingerbread man, and so on. For some inexplicable reason, however, there is also a turtle. No idea why, but my friend and I probably made more Christmas turtles than Christmas anything-else! I also succeeded in making a snowman with a nose that stayed sticking straight up.

Do you do any Christmas baking? What’s your favorite treat at this time of year? I’m currently salivating over my grandma’s vinarterta she made for an upcoming gathering! It’s originally an Icelandic dessert, and everybody’s recipe is different, but basically it’s dried plums between thin layers of cake. My grandma always tops it off with icing too. It might sound like an odd dish, but trust me–it’s delicious.

books

What are you reading right now? Are you loving it? Hating it? “Meh”-ing it? (Shush, that is a word.) Goodreads pals, are you caught up on your 2017 reading challenge? I’ve got three books to go, which should be doable.
After a week of textbooks and practically zero fiction, I’m hungrily diving into The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster, a quirky little book that Mary Horton sent me as a present a couple months ago. I’ve been saving it for the holidays, because it’s one of those books you just KNOW you’re going to love. You know what I mean, right?
And so far, this is a deliciously fun story with the whimsy of Alice in Wonderland, yet in a more modern-feeling world. I’m absolutely loving the wordplay and metaphors here.
“I guess I just wasn’t thinking,” said Milo.

“PRECISELY,” shouted the dog as his alarm went off again. “Now you know what you must do.”
“I’m afraid I don’t,” admitted Milo, feeling quite stupid.
“Well,” continued the watchdog impatiently, “since you got here by not thinking, it seems reasonable to expect that, in order to get out, you must start thinking.” And with that, he hopped in the car. “Do you mind if I get in? I love automobile rides.”

and how are you doing?

Are you frazzled? Content? Excited? Tired? Christmastime brings with it a wide range of emotions for a wide range of people, so whatever it looks like in your little corner of the world today, just know that you are loved. Know that life (with all its bumps in the road) is pretty amazing. And know that God thinks you’re worth sending His Son for.

Well, considering I promised not to yabber, I did a lot of talking! Let’s hear from you now! Sit down, grab a turtle cookie, and chat away.

Keep Reading

A Tour of My 2017 Bullet Journal

Tracey Dyck 28 Comments



[Looks like I’m posting late again. I’d love to be able to say, “Check for new posts every Saturday morning bright and early at 7 am!” But it’s been hard to stay consistent with how busy school has been. My apologies, and thanks for understanding!]

Introductory note aside, I thought we’d do something a little different today! Usually I stick to blogging about reading books, writing books, admiring bookshelves, discussing the nature of books, watching books (oh wait, I mean movies), et cetera. Basically everything that equals story. With the exception of Subplots & Storylines, Adventure Awaits isn’t really a lifestyle blog.

Buuuut as we all know, life doesn’t fit in boxes. What affects life inadvertently affects writing. When life is prioritized, writing tends to go better. When life is chaos, I struggle to find time to string together even a paragraph, and when I do get time, my brain is too tired to make good use of it.

So, ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce you to…

THE BULLET JOURNAL

Cue fanfare and trumpets!

This day planner/to-do list/calendar has been around for a while, but you may not have heard of it. Worry not, I shall do my best to get you well acquainted.

Before we begin, I’m not promising a miracle cure or easy fix. Bullet journaling may not even be for you. (Keep in mind, I’m the kind of person who LOVES lists, because they let me pin my thoughts down on paper where I can see them, manage them, and conquer them. You may be the exact opposite, which is great too.) But after keeping a bullet journal for the past year, and loving it, I’d like to share my experience. Who knows, it might help you put 2018 in ship-shape order!

what is a bullet journal?

They call it the analog system for the digital age–essentially, it’s whatever you want to make it. A typical bullet journal functions as a day planner combined with a to-do list, with calendars and goals and similar things thrown in. You can actually buy an official bullet journal, or read all about the real thing HERE.

Some people get really fancy and make theirs an art journal as well, with artwork and photos and quotes and washi tape and stickers all over the place. Just look up “bullet journal” on Pinterest or Instagram and you’ll find endless photos of aesthetically gorgeous journals. #jealous

What’s great, though, is that you don’t need anything fancy to get started. A regular old notebook works just as well. Spending hours on pretty art isn’t necessary unless you want to do it. The key to a bullet journal is how you organize it.

Rather than repeat what’s already on the website, I’ll be showing you my own personal methods.

Before we get there, you may be thinking, “But I have my phone’s calendar, notes, and apps to do all of this. Why would I go to the trouble of making a special journal?” If your phone’s tools are working for you, great! I still use all of those things too, because my phone does go with me where my bullet journal does not. What I prefer about bullet journaling, however, is the way everything is in one place. And I find that the physical act of writing makes things easier to remember and more satisfying to check off.

the notebook itself

I first heard about bullet journaling from my pal Lisa (affectionately referred to as Lisa Pickle about 99.3729% of the time) in 2016, and thought it sounded quite fun. So for the last couple months of the year, I experimented in an old notebook, just to see if I liked it and how I wanted to set it up. Then in January 2017, I bought this pretty notebook from Chapters and dove in for real! *is secretly pleased that the cover matches my blog* This notebook is lined, but next year I really want to try a dot-grid notebook!

organization

Like I mentioned before, this is definitely the key to making a bullet journal work for you, and it’s what sets it apart from regular planners.

I drew this legend on the first page to remember what each symbol means, but by now I no longer have to refer to it. Most of these are the official symbols, with one or two I made up for myself.

  • (dot) = a task that is yet to be completed (this is what you’d use on a to-do list, for example)
  • (x) = once you’ve completed a task, you turn the dot into an x to mark it off
  • (>) = to move a task to a different list, scratch a right-facing arrow over the dot to signify that it’s been moved elsewhere in the notebook
  • (<) = when you scribble down a task during Monday, let’s say, like “pick up cookies at the bakery” but it’s really a task for next Wednesday, you later draw a left-facing arrow over the dot to signify that you’ve scheduled the task (as in, moved it to Wednesday)
  • (a star) = priority task (self-explanatory)
  • (open circle) = an event, rather than a task
  • (dash) = a note, rather than a task or event

If it sounds complicated, it really isn’t–and you can always simplify these symbols however you like. My migrating and scheduling symbols have kind of merged over the year to just a “>” that tells me an incomplete task was moved to a future list.

On my next page, I have an index or table of contents. Since I didn’t know ahead of time where all my pages would end up, I just filled this in as I went along throughout the year, naming the pages and indicating the page numbers. This makes it easy for me to flip through and find what I’m looking for.

future logs

A future log is a six-month spread (again, set up however you like) that lists the major events and tasks coming up over the next half a year. I love this spread because it gives me a birds-eye view! Pictured below is my July-December future log.

(some dates blurred out for privacy)

You can see that I included birthdays, anniversaries, holidays, exams, important writing deadlines, and miscellaneous things like a wedding and a concert.

monthly spreads

I find this is the most fun to make, but also the most time-consuming! Every month I draw out a fresh calendar, which I fill in with my work schedule, school projects, events, appointments, birthdays, and more. Basically, it’s like zooming in on part of your future log, but in calendar format.

(sorry, a wee bit more blurring here too)

I start by drawing out the calendar with a ruler and pen. Then I list my goals for the month along the right-hand side, turning the dots into x’s once each task is completed. Lately a number of goals haven’t been completed by the end of the month, so they’re forwarded to the next month . . . and then the next month, and the next, until I finally finish them. Heh.

I also enjoy decorating my monthly spreads a little bit. It’s fun to change it up every month with a new color combo.

At the bottom of the spread, I draw a few habit trackers, which I’ll explain in more detail right away.

(Just a note: some people break their monthly spreads down into weekly spreads as well, but for me they’re redundant and take too much time.)

habit trackers

This is another favorite thing of mine! And I sound like a broken record saying this, but habit trackers are yet another thing that are very individual. Some people use them, others don’t. Some people track dozens of habits, others–like me–track just a few.

I chose to track my writing, blogging, reading, and bedtime habits. (Too many habits would’ve been hard to keep track of, and I suspect I would’ve fallen off the wagon if I’d attempted a dozen right away.) Each day that I write, work on blogging, read a book, or go to bed by 10:30 pm, I color in a square. (The bedtime habit has been an epic fail this year! Oops!) I’ve also seen people track exercise, devotions, how much water they drink, chores, and all sorts of things. And I may add one or two new habits next year. But the point is to make habit trackers work for you. They’re meant to motivate you and give you an honest look at how you spend your time.

daily logs

Every night before bed, I write down what I’ve done that day, check my goal progress, and fill in my habit trackers. If there are several things pressing on my mind for the next day, I’ll make a to-do list under that day’s heading. This takes just a couple minutes, and it’s relaxing to put the day to rest on paper.

My daily logs usually take just a few lines, unless I did a lot of varied things throughout the day. I’ll write down things like school times, work shifts, and errands I ran; or the fact that I edited my WIP, read a book, answered blog comments, hung out with family, or went out to eat. I’m not strict with how I list these things.

In this way, I’d say my daily logs are more like a bare bones journal. But some days that have a lot going on turn into more of a to-do list . . . which might be more effective if I carried my bullet journal around with me everywhere I went, but for what I need, using it once or twice at the beginning and end of my day works fine.

By the by, I don’t actually have a superhuman memory when I sit down to write those Subplots & Storylines monthly summaries. I rely hugely on my bullet journal!

Here’s a glimpse at a couple of pretty average daily logs:

As you can see, I mostly use the dashes to indicate notes about what I’ve done. To-do items are x’d out if I finished at the end of the day, or forwarded (>) to a different day if not. I don’t keep a strict amount of lines for each day–I just fill in each one as I go along.

extras

A bullet journal can be more than a planner and to-do list! You can also add less frequently used pages to keep track of anything and everything you want. I kept my extras to a minimum this year. Mainly, I made pages of books I’ve read, movies I’ve watched, future blog post ideas, and a few other topics.

(here’s proof that your journal doesn’t have to be perfect–you can see the whiteout in the header. xD)
(whatever you can read here is probably incomprehensible.
looks like I was keeping track of tv episodes too)
(spoiler alert!)

some tips and tricks

  • I’m quite pleased that I managed to keep up this new habit of bullet journaling for a whole year! For me, the trick was to keep the notebook and pens/pencils right next to my bed so that it was one of the last things I’d see every day. It reminds to me to write in it every night.
  • Track what’s important to you. This applies to the whole concept, not just habit trackers. If all you want to write in your calendars are appointments and big events that you absolutely should not forget, fine. If you want to go into great detail and schedule in little everyday activities, that’s also fine.
  • Don’t be afraid to change it up. I did stick to pretty much the same format throughout, but with my experimental journal in 2016, I tried a bunch of things to see what I liked.
  • Make it pretty if you like, but don’t feel like you have to.
  • Make it functional. You can create top-notch aesthetics, but if your bullet journal isn’t useful in some way, you may as well call it an art journal.
  • You do you. Yep, I’ve said it about a hundred times in this post already, but if you’re going to use a bullet journal, set it up in a way that works for you. What’s your schedule like? How much time do you want to spend on this every day? What’s the best time of day to use your bullet journal? What are your primary reasons for using it in the first place?
  • Think outside the box! You could borrow the bullet journal format for something that’s not a planner at all–it could be used for a writing journal, a notebook of strictly to-do lists, a collection of ideas, an address book, a homework organizer, whatever!

and that’s it.

Thanks for coming along for the tour! I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into a little tool I use to manage life.

Now tell me, wayfarers: do you use a bullet journal? (If yes, let’s hear your own tips and tricks!) Are you thinking of trying it out? How do you keep your time and projects organized? And honestly–am I the only one who likes lists so much that I put down already-accomplished things, just for the satisfaction of checking them off?? Come on, ‘fess up.

Keep Reading