A Quick Prep for Q4
Questions and a Customizable Checklist
Check out my first post here to read more about the namesake of this newsletter and make a copy of the input/output tracking sheet if you so desire.
Do you think about the year in quarters?
I do, partially because I pay quarterly freelance taxes, but partially because I find it useful to help map my energy and output for the entire year (and course correct if need be). Here’s how the different quarters vibe for me right now:
Q1: New Year’s Resolutions, a burst of energy to get past the winter doldrums (till March, at least), the promise of a shiny new year pushing you to become a better person for a month or so. I teach a lot in this quarter, people get classes for holiday gifts and want to start the year by writing something new. Potential feels big!
Q2: Honestly, the worst one for me. Starts mid-March, nothing good really happening except rewatching The Fugitive for the St. Patrick’s Day parade scene, just trying to get to the nice weather. A good time to rewrite for me, since I’m grumpy anyway.
Q3: People are on vacation, it’s nice out so no one wants to sit inside on their computers if they can help it. I don’t teach in the summer since SO many people miss sessions for travel. I also write a lot in Q3, mostly generative work I can edit later.
Q4: OK TIME TO GET SERIOUS! We have three months to go before we have to stare down our mortality yet again with the changing of the year. Many people basically work half-power between Thanksgiving week and New Year’s, so it’s a great time to make progress on projects and channel that back-to-school energy.
Being productive in Q4 can be a superpower, in my opinion—other people are winding down, figuring they’ll deal with everything in the new year, while you’re checking in with goals, meeting deadlines, and sprinting into 2024 like Sha'Carri Richardson.
But why am I singing to you of autumn’s allure while we’re roasting in the heat of July? Because like many things in life, you’ll thrive more in Q4 if you put in a little prep work first.
Below are some questions I answer around this time as I block out my Q4. I also included a checklist I made in Google docs that you can make a copy of and edit to your heart’s delight.
Q4 Prep Questions
What have I made good progress on already this year?
What have I been neglecting? Why?
Is it better to continue to put energy in the things I’ve been drawn to working on, or take a break to pick up some of the neglected projects?
Looking back at my pace this year, what is a REASONABLE goal to set for the final 3.5 months of the year?
What have I had the most fun doing so far this year?
Do I need accountability help? Would a class, a fellowship deadline, or a feedback swap be useful?
Have I been spreading my energy too thin, and would I benefit from a period of focus on one project or area?
Conversely, have I been locked in on a project for a while and need a break to play with other forms and get some creative mojo back?
What’s a time waster I’d like to cut back on?
What’s something I’ve been enjoying I want to do more of?
If I could travel back to the beginning of the year, what advice would I give myself?
Q4 Checklist: Make a copy and edit on your own! These are some of the items I do, but I would love to hear if you add/subtract/modify this list to suit your life.
Which quarter do you thrive in? Why do you think that is?
My Q4 Classes!
“Short Pieces Into Book Proposals,” September 9th, online, 1-4pm ET, through Writing Co-Lab. Ideal for short humor and satire writers, essayists, memoirists, and journalists who want to turn their shorter work into a book-length project.
“Comedy Writing for Non-Comedians,” September 16th, 1-3pm ET, through Write or Die. Want to be funnier overall? Learn tricks and tools of comedy writing and how to apply them in to emails, speeches, and everyday life.
“How to Write a McSweeney’s-Style Piece” 4 SESSIONS, October 2, 9, 16, 23, all 8-10pm ET, through Write or Die. This is a class for comedy writing beginners!
“Write Like an Athlete,” October 7th, 3-5pm ET, through Writing Co-Lab. Learn how tools from sports and behavioral psychology can help you build a sustainable writing practice, complete with rest cycles, volume builds, streaks, and more.
“Finding Your Story Through Adaptation,” November 11, 1-4pm ET, through Writing Co-Lab. Learn how to take stories in the public domain and flip them into a modern context for novels, short pieces, essays, and more.
If you’re looking to take a novel writing class in Q4, I took the Novel Generator with Jennifer Close through Catapult (RIP) TWICE, I loved it so much. She’s offering it now on her own, details below—if you’re interested, write back and I’ll send you her email:
“I’ll be offering another 12-Week Novel Workshop this fall for $1100. The class will run from 7-9pm on Tuesdays from September 5-December 5 (skipping October 31 and November 21). This will be very similar to the Novel Generator, but with new readings and craft lessons. After each workshop you’ll receive written feedback from me and we’ll have a call to discuss the workshop and critiques.
The class will be limited to 6 students and if you are interested in applying, please email me back with a 15-page sample of your novel and a brief answer to the question: what do you hope to get out of this class?
This class will be on zoom and we’ll be using word or google docs for the submissions. Please let me know if you have any questions!”
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ABOUT ME: My name is Caitlin Kunkel and I’m a comedy writer, long-time teacher, and creator of The Second City’s Online Satire Writing Program. I currently teach classes and consult on gift book proposals, modern adaptation, satire, and comedic literature. I co-founded The Belladonna Comedy and the Satire and Humor Festival, and I co-wrote the satirical gift book New Erotica for Feminists: Satirical Fantasies of Love, Lust, and Equal Pay, named one of the Top 10 Comedy Books of 2018 by Vulture.
These are such great prompts!
All stuff I should be asking myself!