Poetry Friday

Poetry Friday July 15, 2022: Organizing Poems in Scrivener

Elisabeth at Unexpected Intersections is hosting this week’s Poetry Friday. Hop on over there to see the roundup. 
 
 

Organizing Poems in Scrivener

Last week, I mentioned that I used Scrivener to type up my poems and tag them. I think you could do the same thing in Google Docs or MS Word. I like being able to search for them, especially as I write more and all of those programs offer a search feature. 
 
One of the things I did in my Poetry-in-Progress Scrivener document is that I created folders for poems. I created a folder for a bunch of different things including:
Within one of my folders, I decided to color code and label some of the poems. In Scrivener you can create custom labels and choose the color.
 
In the picture below you can see that I’ve color-coded three things:
  • Poems that I’ve already used for Poetry Friday
  • Poems that I’ve already used for my snail mail poetry postcards
  • Poems that I’d like to revise and consider for submission
Screenshot of my Scrivener binder with color coding for poems I've published on Poetry Friday, poems I've put on postcards, and poems I'm considering submitting.
 
This is all a work-in-progress, so I’ll see if this process keeps working for me. I’d love to know how you organize your poem drafts. 
 

Haiku of the Week

 
 

What I’m Reading

by Rebekah Lowell
 
This middle grade novel-in-verse is based on the author’s own true story of escaping an abusive relationship with her two girls and is told from a fictional child’s point of view. The verse structure allows us to feel the emotions and leaves space for us to fill in the rest. This book had been on my radar because Rebekah is a Hollins alum like me. Even though this story dealt with so many hard things, I loved that Hollins and Roanoke (where I used to live) gave her family a safe place to start out on their own.
 
 

16 Comments

  • Irene Latham

    Hi Marcie! Thanks for sharing your organizational technique. Figures a librarian-author wouId have a cool system! 🙂 I don’t have Scrivener and use my webite & blog to organize and catalog (ArtSpeak padlet galleries and Poem Index). Otherwise I have a “Poetry for Kids” folder in my Dropbox and use the poem title or key words in the file name. Sometimes it’s easier to write a new poem than to find an old one. Ha! xo

  • Elisabeth

    What an interesting idea! I’ve been using folders in Scrivener to organize my poems (one for unpublished, one for published, one for “on submission”), but I like the idea of color coding and tagging to allow more nuance to my sorting and labeling – thanks for sharing that tip!

    I love your morning glory poem – “in her afternoon wrap” makes her sound like an elegant lady, just waiting to throw off her cloak and reveal her gorgeous dress.

  • Linda Mitchell

    If I had a buck for every time I recommend a writer visit this blog…I’d have some spending money! I love how you organize and are so willing to share tips with other writers. You are a gift to the writer’s world, Marcie. Thank you for being YOU! I feel like that morning glory sometimes when I wear a wrap…nice personification there.

  • Mary Lee

    I’m interested in finding an oganization system for my poems. Thank you for the sneak peek and the thinking behind your folders in Scrivener. I might apply your thinking to my (free) Google Drive folders! (The word SCRIVENER makes me think of MISERLY!!)

    LOVE your morning glory picture and haiku!!

    • Marcie Flinchum Atkins

      Scrivener does have a learning curve. I definitely think you could do this in Google Drive! It has colors too! Plus I feel like you have to use the system that works for you! I use Google Drive a LOT as well. It has a lot of functionality!

  • Michelle Kogan

    I love your haiku and image, such fun with the play of morning, “afternoon wrap,” and dawn! Your organizing is intriguing. Right now I’ve my poems in yearly and monthly folders. I’ve also tagged some with form types if used and if I remember child for children’s poetry, thanks for sharing!

  • Carol Varsalona

    Marcie, thank you for your organization tips. I appreciate the information and love your new haiku. I can see why you added the word wrap to your haiku. Stunning photo.