Planners That Don’t Lie to You About Time

the planner line, honest

Most writing planners promise you can write a novel in thirty days if you commit and a paid mantra.

Mine don't. The Maven planners are built around the actual hours you have, not the ones you wish you had. We walk through which planner matches which season of writing, why some clients run two at once, and the three planners I refuse to release until they pass my own use-test for a quarter. Most planners fail because they assume the writer's life cooperates. The Maven planners assume the writer's life is the obstacle and design around it.

Which planner matches your season

How to actually use a planner

• Pick one matched to your current season.
• Use it daily, not aspirationally.
• Adjust the targets down 30 percent on week one. You won't hit the original.
• Run two planners only if their jobs don't overlap.
• Re-evaluate at the season's end. Switch when the season changes.

A planner that lies about your time is a planner you'll guilt-pile by week three. The Maven planners assume your life is the obstacle and design around it. That's the difference.

— L.A. Walton, The Book Maven

From the Maven Catalog

• Planner Library — all 10 writing issues
• Planner — The Gentle Draft Planner
• Planner — The Finish-Line Planner
• Planner — The 90-Day Finish Planner
• Teen Planner Library

Pick the planner for the season. Adjust the targets down. Use it daily. Switch when the season changes. The planner becomes a tool instead of a guilt-pile decoration.