Writer’s Mission Control Center Instructions

Being a Writer Section

The Being a Writer section is home to four pages: your Dashboard, Writer Profile, Creative Works, and the Habit Tracker. Choose one of these four pages to view its content!

My Dashboard

This is the home page of your mission control center. Here you can see, at a glance, some of your writing stats, including how many submissions you’ve sent, how many ideas you have waiting to blossom, and how many pieces you have ready to submit, among other things. It serves as an overview of the app.

To populate this page, choose the appropriate section and enter your data there. For example, choose My Creative Works to log your latest idea and increase your Ideas count; visit the Submission Log to track a recent pitch and increase your Submissions Out Now and Submissions Out This Year. Your Dashboard will update automatically as you enter information, so check back often to see your progress!

My Writer Profile

If you’re new to the Writer’s Mission Control Center, start here! The My Writer Profile section contains information about you: your contact information, the types of writing you like, your big dream goals, and more. The data in this section will auto-populate other sections, so spend some time here now to save yourself time and effort later.

Basic Info: This includes your name, email, address, and social media handles.
Bio: Enter short, medium, and long versions of your bio.
Forms: This tracks the types of writing that you do, including fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Check as many boxes as needed. You can also add custom forms if your desired type isn’t listed.
Themes I Write About: Here you have room to enter up to 20 themes that you love writing about. These could include things like travel, self-help, finance, tech, humor, and more.

My Creative Works

This section keeps track of your ideas, drafts, pitches, and published pieces all in one place, so you can find them again when you need them. If you keep your creative works section up to date, you’ll know how many ideas and drafts you have; how many drafts you have on a particular theme (like travel); how many ideas you have in a particular form (such as poems); and more.

To log a new creative work:

From the My Creative Works section, click the button on the right-hand side of the screen that says “+ Add New Creative Work.”
A new screen will open. Input the desired data on this screen, including:

the piece’s working title
stage (idea vs. draft, for example)
themes
publication link and date
and more.

When you’ve finished entering data, click the “Save Creative Work” button, located above the working title.

As a creative work moves from a draft to an idea to a published piece, you can go back and update your data, including adding a link to the published piece.

To edit an existing creative work:

Use the Search feature, on the right hand side of this section, to locate the piece you want to work on. Click on the title of the piece to make changes.
When you’ve finished entering everything, click the “Save Creative Work” button, located above the working title.

Habit Tracker

The Habit Tracker page lets you set writing goals and keep track of your progress.

To enter a new goal:

From the Habit Tracker page, click the button in the right hand column says “+ Track New Goal.”
A new screen will open. Input your writing goal here.

You can count progress as words written, pages written, or even pieces written, depending on your individual goal.
You can set daily, weekly, monthly, and annual goals.
Finally, you can set start and end dates for these goals.

When you’ve finished, click the “Save Goal” button, on the bottom right hand side.

Your goal will now appear on the right hand side of the Habit Tracker page!

Once you’ve entered your goal(s) into the Habit Tracker, you can then track your progress using the Entry column, on the left hand side.

To track your progress toward a goal:

From the Habit Tracker page, click the button in the left hand column that says “+ Add New Entry.”
A new screen will open, titled Track Your Habit. Here you can input the date you worked towards your goal, as well as what exactly you did (wrote 5 pages, wrote 500 words, etc.).
When you’ve finished, click the “Save Habit” button, on the bottom right hand side. Your progress has been logged!

Getting Published Section

The Getting Published section is home to three pages: your Publications, Submission Log, and Submission Factory. Choose one of these three pages to view its content!

Publications

This section keeps track of the many publications you’ll read, work with, and have recommended to you by friends or editors. The database is searchable to find exactly the publication you’re looking for. You can sort by:

name
theme, such as travel or lifestyle
type, such as literary magazines and consumer magazines

To log a new publication:

From the Publications section, click the button on the right hand side of the screen that says “+ Add New Publication.”
A new screen will open. Input the desired data on this screen, including:

the publication’s title
notes
reading period information
payment information
themes

You can also link an editor to a publication, using the “Contact for Submissions” dropdown list.

If the editor is already in your Contacts list, choose their name from the dropdown list, which is sorted alphabetically by first name.
If the editor is not in your Contacts list, you can add them here via the “+ Add New Contact” button. This will open a Contacts window next to the Publication window, where you can add an editor’s name, email, job title, etc. When you’re done, click “Save and Add to Publication.”

When you’ve finished, click the “Save Publication” button, located above the working title.

In the publishing world, editors rarely stay at the same position for long, and sometimes publications shut down entirely or go on hiatus. When this happens, you’ll want to update your records.

To edit an existing publication:

Locate the publication. You can use the Search feature to find it, located on the right hand side of this section. Type in identifying data, such as the title of the publication or one of its themes. When the desired publication pops up, click on it.
A new screen will open. On this screen, you can edit any of the publication’s existing details.

To change the contact for submissions, choose a new contact from the dropdown list. If the editor is already in your Contacts list, choose their name from the dropdown list, which is sorted alphabetically by first name.
If the editor is not in your Contacts list, you can add them here via the “+ Add New Contact” button. This will open a Contacts window next to the Publication window, where you can add an editor’s name, email, job title, etc. When you’re done, click “Save and Add to Publication.”
You can also update reading periods, accepted genres, payment info, etc., by clicking on the dropdown box that you’d like to change and choosing a new option.

You can also add new details to a publication this way. If a publication is on hiatus until the summer, for example, you can note that for yourself in the Notes field.
When you’ve finished, click the “Save Creative Work” button, located above the working title.

Submission Log

Pitches and submissions are a critical part of getting your work published. After all, if editors aren’t reading your work, then they can’t accept it! The publishing process can be long and arduous, and if you aren’t keeping tabs on what you’ve sent where, it will only feel more complicated. Have you already pitched this piece to your favorite magazine? When did you send that other pitch?

Make your submitting life easier by keeping track of all your submissions in one place. Log each one here in your Submission Log, including what you sent and when. This helps you know when to follow up on submissions and avoid awkward double submissions.

To log a new submission:

From the Submission Log page, click the button on the right hand side of the screen that says “+ Add New Submission.”
A new screen will open. Input the desired data here, including:

the work you submitted,
the publication to which you sent it,
the individual editor to whom you sent it, (this is more important in journalism publications than literary magazines)
the date of your submission,
the outcome (probably “Waiting to hear” at first!),
and any notes.

When you’re done, click the button that says “Save Submission”, which is located over your contact’s name.

If you follow up with the publication at any point, be sure to add that date to the Submission Log, so you can keep track of how long it’s been.

To log a follow up:

Locate the submission. You can use the Search feature to find the right one, located on the right hand side of this section. Type in identifying data, such as the submission’s name, the publication, or your contact’s name. When the desired submission pops up, click on their name.
A new screen will open. In the “Followed up on” box, choose the date of your follow up.
When you’re done, click the button that says “Save Submission,” which is located over your contact’s name.

Eventually, you’ll either decide that it’s time to reach out to a new outlet or you’ll hear back from the publication. Hopefully they say yes! But whether your piece is accepted, rejected, or ghosted, you’ll want to update your Submission Log.

To update an existing submission:

Locate the submission. You can use the Search feature to find the right one, located on the right hand side of this section. Type in identifying data, such as the submission’s name, the publication, or your contact’s name. When the desired submission pops up, click on their name.
A new screen will open. In the Outcome dropbox box, choose the appropriate option: accepted, rejected, ghosted, or withdrawn.
If you heard back, and the editor encouraged you to reach out again in the future, note that in the “Encouraged to send more” dropdown box.
You can also leave yourself notes in the “Notes on response” box.
When you’re done, click the button that says “Save Submission”, which is located over your contact’s name. Your submission will be updated.

Submission Factory

Submitting can be time-consuming, but you can simplify the process with the Submission Factory. This section lets you auto-generate a submission letter, using information you’ve entered about the Creative Work and Publication. You’ll need to complete the Pitch Writer first!

To generate a submission letter:

Click on the Submission Factory tab. This will open a page with three columns; the left lists your Creative Works, the middle lists your publications, and the right features different Letter Elements to flesh out your cover letter.
In the Creative Works column, choose the desired piece. You’ll be able to read any notes in the piece’s Notes field directly from the Submission Factory page.

To show ONLY the Creative Works that are marked as Ready to Submit, check the box next to the column header, which reads “Show ready to submit only.”
To show ALL Creative Works, uncheck the “Show ready to submit only.”

In the Publication column, choose the desired publication. You can scroll through the list, which is sorted alphabetically, or you can use the search box next to the column header to find the correct one. Each publication has a small gray information icon to the right of its name; here you’ll be able to see any submission requirements saved to the Publication.

If you don’t have a contact for submissions at your desired publication, you’ll see red text that reads “You have no contact set for this Publication.”

In the Letter Elements column, fill out as much information as you can.

Is this a pitch or a submission? Use the dropbox box to select your choice.
Is it a simultaneous submission? Use the dropbox box to select your choice.
Do you want the letter to be formal (Dear Ms. Doe) or informal? (Dear Jane) Use the dropbox box to select your choice.

You can edit the standard Intro Sentence and Sign-Off Sentence here as well, and you can also add any additional information in the “Additional letter text” field. Try to include information like why you think your work is suitable for this publication.
When you’re done, choose the “Generate Submission Letter” button on the upper right hand side.
This will open a new window with your submission letter. You can copy and paste it into your email or Submittable, etc. When you’re done, choose “Dismiss” in the bottom right hand corner.

Your Writing Career Section

The Your Writing Career section is home to 10 pages: your Project Manager, Opportunities, Big Dreaming Goals, Opportunities Matrix, Pitch Writer, Companies & Organizations, Contacts, Projects, and Clients. Choose one of these nine pages to view its content!

Project Manager

As a freelancer, you’ll need to keep track of your various projects and deadlines—and your Project Manager page is a great place to see, at a glance, what you’re working on. On the left side, this page displays all of your current projects with color-coded deadlines; the right side lets you add notes and updates to each individual project so that you don’t drop the ball.

To edit or update an existing project:

On the Project Manager page, choose the project that you’d like to edit or update from the master list in the left column.
The project details will appear on the right side of your screen. Find the field that you’d like to edit, and do so by either changing the dropdown option or typing new text into the field. From here you can change:

project status (in the works vs. ready to submit)
project name
notes
estimated hours
editor (which pulls from your Contacts list)
interview information
fact-checking information

When you’re done, click the “Save” button on the upper right hand side. Your project has been updated!

To add a new project to the project manager: Visit the My Projects page.

My Opportunities

The internet is full of potential opportunities, ranging from grants, fellowships, and conferences to business hiring for freelance projects and editors putting out calls for pitches on Twitter. You can’t throw your name in for something if you don’t remember when the deadline is—a frustrating experience that your Opportunities section can help you avoid.

Stay on top of potential opportunities by tracking interesting pitch calls, invitations to submit work, and any other opportunities that come your way. Make sure to include the relevant details to keep the FOMO of not submitting.

To track a new opportunity:

From the My Opportunities page, click the button on the right hand side of the screen that says “+ Add New Opportunity.”
A new screen will open. Input the desired data here, including:

the gist of an opportunity (this will function like a title)
a longer explanation of the opportunity
the type of opportunity (teaching vs. publication, for example)
its status (ongoing, call for submissions, etc.)
the original date it was posted
the deadline
the publication or business who shared it
the contact
appeal level (important for the Opportunities Matrix)

When you’re done, click the button that says “Save Opportunity”, which is located over the Gist field.

Once you’ve entered an opportunity, you may want to search for certain types, such as all ongoing opportunities. You can do this using the “Show Only…” button on the left hand side of the screen, above the Original Date header. This lets you search for relevant opportunities by their status.

To search your opportunities by status:

From the My Opportunities page, click the button on the left hand side of the screen that says “Show Only…”
From the “Status” dropdown box, choose the opportunities you’d like to look at right now.

Choose “Calls for Submission” to look at recent pitch calls.
Choose “Ongoing” to look at current opportunities and check deadlines.
Choose “Pending” to check dates and see if it’s time to follow up on an opportunity.

Once you’ve chosen the status(es) you’d like to view, click the “Filter!” button.

When you win a project, you’ll want to celebrate! But you’ll also want to update your opportunity.

To update an opportunity:

Locate the opportunity. You can use the Search feature to find the right one, located on the right hand side of this section. Type in identifying data, such as the gist of the opportunity, the publication, or your contact’s name. When the desired opportunity pops up, click on its name.
A new screen will open. From here, you can update any information by either choosing a new option from the dropdown menu or deleting the current text in the box.

To update an opportunity’s Status from “Pending”, choose the updated status from the dropdown menu.
To update or add details, type or paste the new info in the text box.

When you’re done, click the button that says “Save Opportunity”, which is located over the Gist field.

Big Dreaming Goals

It’s hard to make dreams come true when you aren’t sure where you’re aiming. Use this page to keep track of your big, long-term goals, like finishing a novel, revamping your freelance business, and reaching a certain quota of submissions and/or Letters of Introduction (LOIs).

To add a new goal:

From the Big Dreaming Goals page, choose the “+ Add New Goal” button.
This will open a new screen. Here you can add:

the name of your goal (“Finish my novel” or “Get 100 rejections this year”)
the date by which you’d like to complete the goal
what you want to accomplish
why you want to accomplish it
challenges you need to overcome
progress notes
and the habits you’ll need to get there

When you’re done, click the “Save Goal” button on the top right hand corner.

To edit an existing goal:

Locate the goal. You can use the Search feature to find it, located on the right hand side of the Big Dreaming Goals page. Type in identifying data, such as the name of the goal. When the desired goal pops up, click on the three gray dots all the way to the right of its name.
A new screen will open. From here, you can update any information by updating the text in the desired field(s).
When you’re done, click the “Save Goal” button on the top right hand corner.

Opportunities Matrix

As a freelancer, there are endless opportunities to pursue, and only limited time to do so, which means that it’s critical for you to decide which ones are the most important. The Opportunities Matrix can help you do just that! The data on this page generates automatically from the My Opportunities page, so be sure to fill out the field about Appeal Level.

The Opportunities Matrix can be sorted by Overall Best, High Pay, or High Appeal, depending on what you’re looking for in any given moment. To toggle between these views, choose the appropriate option on the left hand side of the page, directly beneath the Opportunities Matrix header.

Pitch Writer

Crafting a strong pitch can be challenging, but it's essential for getting published. Simplify the process with this form. Fill out the fields to generate a powerful pitch, then send it off to potential publishers as is, or use the Submission Factory to create a cover letter.

To craft a new pitch:

Open the Pitch Writer page. This will open a page with two columns, your Creative Works and the Letter Elements.
Begin with the Creative Works column. Choose the desired piece by scrolling through the list, which is sorted alphabetically, or using the search bar next to the column header. You can see the Work’s status (i.e., Ready to Submit, etc.) and any Notes directly from the Pitch Writer page. When you’ve found the desired piece, click on it. It will turn green.
Fill out the Letter Elements column. You don't need to complete every field, but the more information you provide, the stronger your pitch will be. Try to include:

your proposed headline,
a synopsis of the work,
why it’s timely,
the sources you might contact,
and more.

When you’re done, click the rightmost button, which reads “Save Pitch.”

If you want to view or edit a pitch you’ve already created, you can do that via the “View Pitch Log” button, located to the left of “Save Pitch.”

To view or edit previous pitches:

Click “View Pitch Log.” This will open a new page that lists your previous pitches, with 10 entries per page. Find the pitch by looking through the pages (pitches are stored chronologically, with the newest first), or by using the search feature on the right hand side. Search by the piece’s title.
When you find the desired piece, open it by choosing the three gray dots to the right of the piece’s working title.
This will open an editable pitch window, where you can add, change, or delete information as needed. You can type or paste in these fields.
When you’re done, click “Save” on the bottom right.

You can now take your pitch to the Submission Factory, which will create a customized letter for you to send to editors.

Companies & Organizations

As a freelancer, you’ll work with hundreds of companies and organizations. This could include publishers you may want to work with one day, businesses that work in your niche, writing organizations like AWP or your local writing center, and more. Keep track of them all in one easy place on the Companies & Organizations page!

To enter a new company or organization:

From the Companies & Organizations page, click the button on the right hand side of the screen that says “+ Add New Organization.”
A new screen will open. Input the desired data here, including:

the company’s name,
the type of company,
your contact, which pulls from your contact list,
and their website.

If you need to add a new contact, you can do so from this page by clicking the “+ Add New Contact” button. This will open a new column in which you can input your contact’s information.
When you’ve finished, click the “Save Company or Organization” button, located above your contact’s name.

If your contact at a particular organization changes, or they begin serving different clientele, you’ll want to update their entry in your database.

To edit an existing company or organization

Locate the company. You can use the Search feature to find them, located on the right hand side of this section. Type in identifying data, such as the company name or type. When the desired company pops up, click on their name.
A new screen will open. Here, you can delete any outdated info and replace it with the correct data.
When you’ve finished, click the “Save Company or Organization” button, located above your contact’s last name.

My Contacts

Your network is essential to your success in the writing industry. Keep track of everyone you know (and everyone you want to work with!), all in one easy place. Whenever you meet someone new, enter their information, including their name and role, here for safekeeping.

To enter a new contact:

From the My Contacts page, click the button on the right hand side of the screen that says “+ Add New Contact.”
A new screen will open. Input the desired data here, including:

your contact’s first and last names,
their role or title (i.e., Editor-in-Chief)
email,
Twitter handle,
any notes,
and more.

You can also add their publication from this page.

If the publication is already in your Publications list, choose its name from the dropdown list, which is sorted alphabetically.
If the publication is not in your Publications list, you can add it here via the “+ Add New Publication” button. This will open a new Publication window next to the Contact window, where you can add the publication’s details, etc. When you’re done, click “Save and Add to Contact.”

When you’ve finished, click the “Save Contact” button, located above your contact’s last name.

If an editor changes publications, or an old classmate updates her email address, you’ll want to update your Contacts page to ensure you reach out to the best address.

To edit an existing contact:

Locate the contact. You can use the Search feature to find the right person, located on the right hand side of this section. Type in identifying data, such as their first or last name. When the desired contact pops up, click on their name.
A new screen will open. Here, you can edit any of your contact’s details simply by typing in the appropriate box. Delete the outdated info and replace it with the correct data.
If your contact has joined a new Publication, link them to their new role via the Publication dropdown box.

If the new publication is already in your Publications list, choose its name from the dropdown list, which is sorted alphabetically. When you select the new one, it will replace the old one.
If the new publication is not in your Publications list, you can add it here via the “+ Add New Publication” button. This will open a new Publication window next to the Contact window, where you can add the publication’s details, etc. When you’re done, click “Save and Add to Contact.”

When you’ve finished, click the “Save Contact” button, located above your contact’s last name.

My Projects

As a freelancer, you’ll work on hundreds of individual projects in your career. These might include writing assignments from magazines, agent queries, MFA applications, grant applications, courses you teach, client work, webinars you host, and more. Organize your workflow here so that you don’t miss an important deadline or forget to invoice for work done!

This page is especially important because the information—especially the names and deadlines—are used to populate your Project Manager page.

To enter a new project:

From the My Projects page, click the button on the right hand side of the screen that says “+ Add New Project.”
A new screen will open. From the dropdown menu, choose the appropriate type of project.
Additional fields will appear. Fill out these fields as much as you’d like, with important data such as:

the assignment title,
its status (from Not Yet Started to Submitted to Paid),
the publication or organization (which pulls from your My Publications and Companies & Organizations pages),
the deadline,
notes,
any fees, if applicable,
and more.

When you’ve finished, click the “Save Project” button, located above the project type.

You can also edit an existing project from this page. (Some info can also be updated from the Project Manager page.) If you want to update the project type, however, that can only be done, from the My Projects page.

To edit an existing project:

Locate the project. You can use the Search feature to find it, located on the right hand side of this section. Type in identifying data, such as the project name or type. When the desired project pops up, click on its name.
A new screen will open. Here, you can delete any outdated info and replace it with the correct data.
When you’ve finished, click the “Save Project” button, located above your contact’s last name.

My Clients

As you add more and more opportunities to the My Opportunities page, you’ll want a place to keep track of new and existing clients. The My Clients page is perfect to keep everyone’s information.

To enter a new client:

From the My Client page, click the button on the right hand side of the screen that says “+ Add New Client.”
A new screen will open. Input the desired data here, including:

Your client’s name or organization (this field draws from both your My Publications and Clients & Organizations pages),
Your contact (this field draws from your My Contacts page),
the type of content you write for them,
style information,
any notes,
invoicing information,
and more.

You can also add a new contact from this page, if needed.

If your contact is already in your My Contacts list, choose their name from the dropdown list, which is sorted alphabetically.
If your contact isn’t already in your list, you can add them here via the “+ Add New Contact” button. This will open a new Contact window next to the Client window, where you can add your contact’s information. When you’re done, click “Save and Add to Client.”

When you’ve finished, click the “Save Client” button, located above your contact’s name.

If you work with a client for a long time (and hopefully you do!), you may need to update an existing Client as your contact person changes, or as the type of work you do for them increases.

To update an existing client:

Locate the client. You can use the Search feature to find them, located on the right hand side of this page. Type in identifying data, such as the client’s name or your contact’s name. When the desired client pops up, click on their name.
A new screen will open. Here, you can delete any outdated info and replace it with the correct data.
When you’ve finished, click the “Save Client” button, located above your contact’s last name. You’re all set!