Let’s make our stories click in 2026! Pull out your notebooks. Open your calendar. We’re about to turn that swirling idea confetti in your brain into an actual plan. (Yes, a fun plan.)
Plan Your Creative Projects
We all have a stash of stories we want to tell. This year, we’re getting them out of your head and onto paper where they belong.
Step 1: Do a lightning list. On a blank sheet of paper, jot down as many story ideas as you can. Go fast. No judging, no overthinking, no “is this good?” Just titles. At the end, add your current work-in-progress.
Step 2: Label your ideas like a pro. Go back and number each title and add the format next to it (screenplay, novel, comic book, short story, audio drama, etc.).
Step 3: Star your favorites. Now put a ⭐ by the projects you’d love to write in a perfect world. These are your heart projects. Your “if I had a writing cabin and a personal chef” projects.
Now we get practical in the best way: favorites versus available time.
Quarter Your Year
The year has four quarters, three months each:
- Quarter 1: January 1 to March 31
- Quarter 2: April 1 to June 30
- Quarter 3: July 1 to September 30
- Quarter 4: October 1 to December 31
A quick planning rule of thumb
Screenplays: One screenplay per quarter is a solid, realistic pace for many writers. That’s four screenplays a year if you stay consistent.
Novels: Novels are trickier because genre, length, and writing speed vary wildly. Some writers draft fast. Others build worlds like they’re constructing a theme park. Make your best guess, and remember: we can revise the schedule.
Estimate Your Time Using the 4 Stages of Writing
When you’re estimating, think in stages:
- Prewriting: researching, brainstorming, plotting, outlining.
- Drafting: writing that glorious “vomit draft”.
- Rewriting and Editing: as many drafts as it takes.
- Post-Writing: (for novelists) cover design, formatting, publishing steps.
Don’t worry about getting it perfect. You’re not carving your calendar into stone tablets. We’ll adjust as life happens and stories do what stories do.
Choose What Actually Fits
Now that you’ve got a rough sense of how long things take, ask yourself:
How many projects can you realistically write in 2026 without turning into a crispy writer-shaped pretzel?
Look at your starred projects and pick the ones you want to schedule for 2026. A great sweet spot is two projects per quarter, but in different phases, so you don’t burn out.
For example:
- Research Project A while drafting Project B
- Draft Project A while revising Project B
- Revise one while outlining the next
Decide the order, then assign each project to a quarter. After that, get specific: week-to-week, what are you doing? Research weeks, drafting weeks, revision weeks. Give Future You a map.
And if you land a writing assignment? Fantastic! That assignment temporarily replaces one project until you can slot the original back in. Your calendar is a living creature, not a fragile house of cards.
Include Other Creative Commitments
Before you finalize your schedule, there are two more calendars that can impact your writing life.
Check for theme months and quirky national days that connect to your content.
Example: If you have a superhero project, timing pitches or promotional posts around Superhero Day (April 27) could be a fun marketing hook. Add any relevant days to your calendar so you can create newsletters and social posts tied to your work, past or present.
Bonus points if you batch-write a handful of these posts and schedule them ahead of time. (I use Metricool for scheduling. They have a free plan.)
2) Industry Events
Now add events you might attend, pitch at, or plan around. Here are categories to start with:
· Fan Events and Comic Book Conventions
· Fiction Writing Conferences
· Screenwriting and Film Festivals
Ask yourself: Do any of these affect what you should write first? If you want to pitch something at Comic Con in July, you probably want that project finished in the first half of the year.
Take a Victory Lap
Now flip through your calendar and look at all the amazing stories you’re going to write. You just turned “someday” into scheduled.
You’re on track to create at warp speed in 2026.
Bonus Things to Try
The Daily Three Step System for Your Writer Business
How to Set Yourself Up for Success
Looking to level up your craft? Check out my list of favorite writing podcasts and books.
For the screenwriters and novelists in your life,
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