Keeping a Writer’s Notebook
/Have you ever met someone and thought, “That is a great name for a character!”? Or been on a walk and suddenly thought of the perfect metaphor for the concept you have been trying to explain in your book? When this happens, write that thought down!
We often encourage writers to have a specific time to sit down and write. But the truth is, writers are always writing. If you are a writer, you know that your project is always in the back of your mind! If fact, it’s often in the random moments, mid-conversation, or right before bed that you think of the perfect title for you next chapter. Keeping a Writer’s Notebook allows you to write these thoughts down so you don’t lose them. Don’t rely on your brain to remember them later; take five seconds to jot it down.
What Is a Writer’s Notebook?
Simply, a Writer’s Notebook is a place to keep notes. It is not a journal or an extra task to complete. It is a space to capture the fleeting thoughts. It should be easy enough to pull out mid walk or conversation and capture the half thought before it flutters away.
Examples of Writer’s Notebooks
A Writer’s Notebook could be a pristine pocket-sized black moleskin notebook, or it could be a dozen crumpled little notebooks scattered in your car, your purse, and your desk. These days, most people use the Notes app on their phones or even type their thoughts into a hundred unsent email drafts. There is no right or wrong way to a keep Writer’s Notebook—just make sure you have one on hand!
How to Use a Writer’s Notebook
Your Writer’s Notebook should not be a chore or an additional task. It should be a haphazard collection of dreams and half sentences. It’s a place of imagination, deep realizations, banal reminders. Be neat, be messy, doodle, write in all caps, glue in fortune cookie fortunes, and copy and paste screenshots. Anything goes!
Only add to your Writer’s Notebook when it feels right, not when you feel like you should. Don’t treat it as a potential future blog post or publishable work— it’s a place that does not need to be polished. Resist the urge to be neat or organized. This is a place for first ideas. Misspell, scratch out, spill coffee. This is your space.
Examples of Notes:
Names you like (for characters)
Quotes
A great metaphor
Reminders
Title ideas
Doodles
Lyrics
Story ideas
Whether you utilize technology and grab your smart phone when you need to jot something down, or do things the old-fashioned way in a black speckled composition book, we encourage you to keep a Writer’s Notebook handy. When you take the time to sit down and do some heavy writing, you’ll be so glad you wrote down those random, inspired thoughts when you had them. We promise you they’ll come in handy!
Happy note keeping!
The Inspira Team