My drafts folder is a mess

Summary

The author, a Medium writer, is reflecting on the disorganized state of their drafts folder, despite initial pride in their organization, and is seeking advice on managing writing ideas more effectively.

Abstract

The author has been writing on Medium for several months and initially wrote for fun due to issues with their Stripe account. After resolving these issues and joining the Partner Program, they became more serious about writing, although they admit to not being consistent or considering themselves a writer yet. They consistently jot down story ideas but often leave them with only a title and subtitle, and occasionally an outline. Recently, the author attempted to develop one of these drafts and found many ideas incomprehensible upon revisiting them, leading to the deletion of half the drafts. The author acknowledges the need to write more than just a title and subtitle to capture the essence of an idea at the moment of inspiration. They are now looking for advice on how to maintain an organized drafts folder to prevent losing track of their ideas.

Opinions

The author initially wrote on Medium for fun due to being barred from the Partner Program, indicating a shift in motivation from enjoyment to potential monetization after resolving account issues.
They pride themselves on being organized but admit their drafts folder is disorganized, suggesting a gap between self-perception and reality.
The author recognizes the importance of capturing the context of ideas beyond just titles and subtitles to ensure they can be understood and developed later.
They express frustration and confusion over past ideas that are now cryptic, highlighting the challenges of managing creative inspiration over time.
The author is open to learning and improving their writing process, as evidenced by their request for advice on organizing ideas and drafts.

Please tell me I’m not the only one

I’ve been writing on Medium for a few months now. At first, it was for “fun” because I was having trouble with my Stripe account and couldn’t get into the Partner Program. After I dealt with that problem and entered the Partner Program I became more serious about my writing. I’m not consistent yet, nor I would call myself a writer at this moment, but I try my best.

One thing I’m consistent in is writing down ideas for stories. If I have my planner near me I would write it down, but most of the time I’m writing directly on Medium (web or app). Sometimes I would go as far as creating titles and subtitles based on the idea, and I would stop there. If I have time/energy/inspiration I will start writing an outline. Unfortunately, most of the time it’s left with a title and subtitle.

A few days ago I decided to “force” myself into developing at least one idea sitting in my drafts. I started scrolling trying to choose the one I will finish that day. Oh boy, I didn’t expect to find myself deleting half of the ideas for one simple reason. I had no clue what was on my mind when I wrote that down.

For example, one of the ideas was: Why I’m I so bothered by it? That’s it, that’s my entire story ideas. To make matters even worse, I’m bothered by a lot these days: lying bloggers, income reports, non-stop rain in May, working from home, etc. The list is long. I still don’t know what was on my mind at the moment I wrote down this.

The thing is, I’m so proud of myself for being organized that I’m ashamed of how I’ve let my drafts folder be such a mess. I guess I was following a very popular Medium advice about writing down your ideas, that I didn’t realize I’ll be lost quickly.

I’ve learned the lesson the hard way: when you have an idea, write down a few sentences to describe what’s on your mind at that moment.

Do you have any advice on how to keep your ideas and drafts folder in order and not get lost?