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Writer's Diary 2027 Companion

More room for the writing year.

The diary has to stay still once it is printed. This page doesn't. Here you'll find extra planning sheets, more detailed resources and current information to use alongside your Writer's Diary 2027.

 

Keep this page bookmarked. Permanent resources will stay here, while dates, deadlines, submission windows and other time-sensitive information can be updated as the year goes on.

Start where you are

Where are you in the work?

Choose the stage you're at now. You can come back whenever the work moves on.

01 · Plan

PLAN

Work out what you're doing and make room for it.

Project planning
Monthly planning
Writing session planning
Progress measures
Plan the work
02 · Write

WRITE

Get into the work, whether you have ten minutes or an afternoon.

Sprint Timer
Daily Prompt
Writing Rooms
Workshops
Writing Session Planner
Start writing
03 · Review

REVIEW

See what is moving, diagnose what isn't, and decide what to do next.

Project Progress Dashboard
Quarterly Writing Review
Revision resources
Articles
Review the work
04 · Submit

SUBMIT

Prepare the work properly and find the right place to send it.

Agent research
Submission tracker
Opportunities
Competitions
Scam guidance
Prepare to submit
Find your route

What are you working on?

Start with the kind of work in front of you. These routes gather the most useful resources for that project without requiring you to use everything.

Novel

Choose a route through the year, then use only the planning sheets that help with the part of the novel you are actually working on.

Novel in a year: planner route For writers who prefer to establish the novel's shape before sustained drafting. Novel in a year: discovery-writer route For writers who find the novel by writing it, then discover its structure in revision. Novel in a year: fast draft, long revision For writers who want a complete rough manuscript early and more time to reshape it. Overall structure See the whole novel before breaking it into individual scenes or chapters. Chapter / scene planner Work through what happens, what changes and what the scene makes necessary next. Character planner Build around desire, pressure, contradiction, relationships and change. Research planner Keep research useful to the manuscript rather than letting it take over the writing. Revision planner Diagnose first, then revise in deliberate passes.
Short story

Keep the planning light. Use the dedicated short-story sheet, then draw on the general writing and review tools when they are useful.

Short-story planner A light plan for finding the story's pressure, movement and ending. Writing Session Planner Use the time you have and leave yourself a clear next step. Project Progress Dashboard Track progress using a measure that suits the work.
Go to review resources
Poetry

Use a loose working structure rather than forcing the poem through a larger project-planning system.

Poetry planner A loose working sheet for image, movement, sound, shape and discovery. Writing Session Planner Useful when you want to work deliberately within a limited session. Quarterly Writing Review Step back from individual pieces and look at the direction of the work.
Collections

Treat the collection as a book in its own right: consider range, recurrence, sequence and the role of each piece in the whole.

Short-story collection planner Look at range, recurrence, sequence and the role of each story in the whole. Poetry collection planner Shape a collection through sequence, recurrence, contrast and movement. Project Progress Dashboard Track progress across the collection without reducing it to word count.
Non-fiction

Define the book's purpose and scope, organise research, then use the general project tools to keep substantial work moving.

Non-fiction book planner Define purpose and scope, organise research and map chapters, drafting and revision. Expanded project planning sheets More room for priorities, milestones, next actions and notes. Writing Session Planner Plan a focused session around the time actually available. Project Progress Dashboard Track research, chapters, drafting, revision or another useful measure.
Submitting

Once the work is ready, research where it belongs, keep an accurate submission record and check current information before sending.

Agent research sheet Research suitability before deciding where to submit. Submission tracker Keep a clear record of what went where and when.
Go to current submission resources
Plan the work

Different projects need different plans.

Use as much structure as is useful. A novel, a short story and a collection do not need the same plan, and not every writer needs to work in the same way.

Diary

Daily writing planning sheet

A roomier A4 sheet for deciding what matters in today's writing session and leaving yourself a clear next step.

Download PDF
Diary

Writing session planner

Plan one writing session around the time you actually have, decide what useful progress would look like, and leave yourself an easier starting point for next time.

Download PDF
Diary

Expanded project planning sheets

The diary's project-planning approach with more room for priorities, milestones, next actions and notes.

Download PDF
Fiction

Novel and fiction planning

Use the sheets that help with the part of the novel you are working on rather than filling in a complete planning system.

Choose a worksheet
Overall structure See the whole novel before breaking it into individual scenes or chapters. Chapter / scene planner Work through what happens, what changes and what the scene makes necessary next. Character planner Build around desire, pressure, contradiction, relationships and change. Research planner Keep research useful to the manuscript rather than letting it take over the writing. Revision planner Diagnose first, then revise in passes so that large problems are dealt with before small ones.
Non-fiction

Non-fiction book planner

Define the book's purpose and scope, organise research and map the chapters, drafting and revision.

Download PDF
Write

When you're ready to write.

Planning only earns its place if it helps you get into the work. Use the tools here to begin, protect some time, or make a short session count.

The expanded Writing Session Planner is useful when you want more structure than the diary page gives you.

Writing Session Planner
 
Writing Sprint Timer Choose a time, start the timer and write. Start a sprint → Daily writing prompt A fresh starting point each day. Open today's prompt → Writing Rooms Protected writing time online, alongside other writers. See upcoming rooms → Workshops and courses Current WritersGroup teaching, workshops and longer sessions. See what's on →
Review the work

Look at what is happening before you decide what comes next.

Review is not a productivity score. It is a chance to see what is moving, what is not, what has changed, and whether the plan still fits the work.

Diary

Project Progress Dashboard

Track the kind of progress that matters to the project rather than treating word count as the default measure.

Download PDF
Diary

Quarterly Writing Review

Step back every three months to see what moved, what stalled, what changed, and what deserves your attention next.

Download PDF
Diary

End-of-project review

Note what worked, what changed and what you want to remember before beginning another project.

Download PDF
Revision

Revision planner

Diagnose the manuscript before rewriting it, then work in deliberate passes so that structural problems are not buried under line edits.

Download PDF
Articles

Diagnose before you rewrite

The diary's articles on manuscript diagnosis, unnecessary explanation, finishing work and reading like a writer all belong here when you are deciding what the work needs.

The full article library will be linked here as the article pages are published.
Decision

Change the plan if the work has changed.

A useful review can confirm the current plan, alter it, reduce it, or tell you that something no longer deserves your time.

Progress includes decisions, discoveries and solved problems as well as finished pages.
Develop your writing

Articles about writing.

Practical pieces on craft, process, revision and the writing life. The articles from the diary are here too, along with additional pieces.

Diary
Diary
Diary
Diary
Diary
Diary

The six Diary articles are now available in the WritersGroup resource library. Browse all writing resources →

Submit

Agents, submissions and opportunities.

Prepare the work properly, keep good records, and use current information rather than relying on details that may have changed since the diary was printed.

Competitions and prizes Deadlines, prizes, fees and entry details. Current listings will be linked here.
Submission opportunities Magazines, journals and presses accepting work. Current listings will be linked here.
Recently opened Submission windows and new opportunities. Current listings will be linked here.
Literary agents Agents, interests and current submission information. The directory will be linked here.
Submission resources Use the research sheet before submitting, then keep a clear record of what went where.
Agent research sheet ↓ Submission tracker ↓
Publishing scams Warning signs and current guidance. Guidance will be linked here.
Literary events and festivals Dates, locations and booking information. Current listings will be linked here.
Workshops and courses Current WritersGroup workshops, courses and writing sessions. See what's on
 

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