Agile Project Management for Writers DAVID R SLAYTON
Who Am I? I m David R Slayton. I write fantasy: young adult, epic, and urban. I m repped by the amazing Lesley Sabga. My debut young adult fantasy, GHOST DRAGON will be out in January, 2020 from Harmony Ink Press. By day I m a software implementation consultant and Agile Scrummaster. @drslayton davidrslayton.com facebook.com/david.r.slayton 2
Some Advice ALL writing advice is subjective, including what I m about to give you. Keep what helps you. Jettison what doesn t. Whatever you hear, whatever you read: DON T QUIT. Don t let anyone squash your voice or take your writing from you. 3
Why Agile and What can it do for you? When I started writing, I struggled with putting my writing into an organized plan. By not taking a managed approach I had a hard time making deadlines but realized that a fully structured process was too rigid for my writing style. I felt like a failure because my attempts to make a daily word count weren t working and that often left me unmotivated and lagging on deadlines. 4
Why Agile? When my day job adapted Agile Project Management as a way to offer our clients a faster way to implement software, I saw how I could apply it to my writing. Five years later, as a certified ScrumMaster, I ve completed dozens of software implementations using Agile, written several novels and completed multiple rewrites and edits. By breaking my writing down into weekly sprints (instead of daily) goals, I m able to ship between 5,000 and 10,000 readable words a week. Readable means they can go to my critique partners and at the end of a month I have a 30 to 40k block for my freelance editor. This method is reducing my editing time/number of drafts. 5
What is Agile? Agile Project Management was developed to speed up software development. Rather than creating an entire application and delivering it wholesale, Agile ships working components in sprints (one to two week blocks) so that testing (in our case editing) is iterative. Agile is designed to be flexible and incorporate changes with little notice. Agile emphasizes self-organization and responsibility (with a daily stand up meeting led by the team members as opposed to a Project Manager dictating the day s tasks). 6
What is Agile? In short, Agile is flexible, adaptive, and approaches development by working in chunks to build the final product. Agile made it possible for me to balance writing, my day job, and my life so I didn t burn out and still enjoyed writing. 7
Agile Methodology: Capacity An important aspect of Agile is understanding your capacity, or how much time you can dedicate to your writing during the project. For example, you may plan to start during a period when you have fewer personal or day job commitments so you can increase capacity and writing time. Know Thyself, and Thy Limits: avoid burnout by not trying to do too much too quickly. 8
Agile Methodology: Plotters, Tweeners, and Pantsers Plotters: thoroughly outline. They start writing with everything laid out. Tweeners: know the big moments or the five point structure, but discover the ground between them. Pantsers: discover the plot as they go, enjoy discovering the book as they write it. As a Tweener, I plot the big moments before I sprint and adjust the outline as I write. Adapt Agile to your writing style. 9
Agile Methodology: Plotters, Tweeners, and Pantsers Agile works best when you ve planned your project, outlined your novel and knowing what happens when. So, plotters have a distinct advantage in that they plan their sprints in advance. Tweeners have an advantage of flexibility and the ability to go with the flow. Pantsers may find it useful to stretch their sprints to two weeks in order to have time to work through the plotting while they write. As with most things, the process improves book after book. You ll get faster and better at craft, so practice! 10
Agile Methodology: Sprints The key to Agile is breaking your work up into sprints (shippable segments or blocks). Each sprint should have one or two goals: tasks which you can complete in a week or two without overwhelming yourself (be realistic about your capacity). Changes, as they arise, should be incorporated if possible, and if not, added to a backlog (a list or tracker for outstanding changes or tasks). 11
Sample Sprint List Sprint 1: Write 10k Sprint 2: Write 10k Sprint 3: Write 10k Sprint 4: Write 10k Sprint 5: Write 10k Sprint 6: Write 10k Sprint 7: Voice Edit Sprint 8: Dialogue Edit Sprint 9: Pacing Edit Sprint 10: Listen Aloud Edit 12
Agile Methodology: Sample Sprint On Monday, set your goals for the week. Your first week will have one story. For example, Write 10,000 words: Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat Sun Review Review Review Review Review Story 1: yesterday s yesterday s yesterday s yesterday s yesterday s Finish writing writing writing writing writing writing Story 1: Write 10k by week s end Story 1: Write Story 1: Write Story 1: Write Story 1: Write Story 1: Write Close out: Compile and review the week s writing Ship to critique group From there, check in each morning, review the previous day s writing, then execute against the story. Keep the story agile (don t try to write all 10k on Monday for example, just work toward having it done by the end of the week. 13
Agile Methodology: Sample Sprint As you review your writing, make changes and edits, but don t try to make large changes, like introducing a new subplot, unless you have the time. If your sprint goal is to get to 10,000 words, that s your goal. Put the item on your backlog. The key idea is don t start rewriting or make massive changes mid stream. Save them up for later, then add sprints to handle them. That s what a Backlog is for. 14
Agile Methodology: Backlog A Backlog is a list of your outstanding tasks/changes that won t fit into the current sprint. Keep track of them in a spreadsheet, with post-its, etc.* Date Item Status 11/03/2018 Check that Vali s eyes are the same color in all Done mentions. 02/01/2019 Put wings on the dragon so it s less eastern Open 02/20/2019 Match Reyn s sword to the color on the cover proof Open There are a lot of great, free to use backlog tracking tools online. See Now Do for example. I use post-its on a board or Microsoft Excel on my phone. 15
Agile Methodology: Backlog As changes come up, look for places in your schedule when you have capacity to make them. If you run out of capacity in a sprint add a new sprint specific to making those changes: 16
Handling Big Changes Sometimes it just isn t working. You might find that your plot is broken or you re starting your story in the wrong place. Don t hesitate to adjust your sprint plan to correct your course. The important thing to get your book written and edited. Agile is supposed to be flexible. Don t let the plan become the goal. 17
Practical Application How would you draw your sprint plan? Be honest about your capacity, your free time, and what you re willing to give up. Be careful to avoid burn out, to over commit. 18
Some Tips Think before you react or make changes Plan before your write Approach your writing with focus End your writing session on a cliffhanger or high note so you re engaged when return to it 19
Q&A 20
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