Friday, March 25, 2011

Happy little discovery...

Because my handwriting is atrocious, I rarely hand-write anything, but I had the urge to do so today.  So, I was going through a notebook to complete a family tree for a novel outline I'm working on.  I flipped to what I thought would be a blank page in the notebook and found several paragraphs of a story synopsis that I had apparently written out at least several months ago.  At any rate I read it over, and realized that I'd completely forgotten about this little nugget, and I have now officially added it to my "to write" list.

It just goes to show that it's worth writing everything down when a story idea hits you.  You never know if you'll remember it later, and I would have kicked myself if I had let this one slip away.

How about you?  Do you write down your story ideas?  On what...paper? A Word doc?  And how do you do it? List? Paragraphs? Random words? Tell me! :-)

xoxo Sarah

6 comments:

  1. I am not a writer but I enjoy doing the process.

    The only writing I do is for my blog. I start draft posts all the time. Sometimes it is just the idea. Sometimes it is a few paragraphs. I am also a list maker. And if I wake in the middle of the night, I'll write stuff down then as well. I usually have a spial bound book for notes and lists, but I have used 3x5 cards in my purse, my pocket, my night stand ... And hope I don't lose it. :-)

    I definitely do not rely on my memory.

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  2. Don't you just love those moments? It's almost like finding money in a pocket.

    I keep a journal with me at all times. Everytime something comes to me, I write it down in the notebook. I date the page I write on so I'll know when the idea came to me. Recently, I've started numbering the pages of the journal, and written an make-shift index in the back, just to make searching for what I wrote down a little bit easier.

    I also use Evernote just in case I'm on my computer when the thought comes to me. It gives me a way to keep things organized.

    Thanks for the #FF by the way, last week!

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  3. I always have a notepad with me for scribbling stories ideas, or just reminders of facts I need to keep straight.. I must resurrect Saf & Sean, I miss working with their characters and resolve their differences once and for all lol xx

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  4. @Retired Knitter: I agree, writing things that come to you is definitely not just for writers. Like you, I get a lot of random things in the middle of the night and have to keep a notebook by my bed.

    @mzmackay: Haha, yes, JUST like finding money in your pocket. A very, "Hey, where'd this come from?" moment. I love the idea of an index! I may have to do something like that sooner or later when I get more organized. I will also look in to this Evernote thing...it sounds right up my alley!

    @Sage: I also try to keep a notebook at least within reaching distance, or some Post-It notes. You never know when those writing facts will come to you and you want to be prepared. :-)

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  5. I have started to use the voice recorder function on my phone. It's quick and easy when something hits you as you are driving. I also use my phone to take down idea in the notes function.

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  6. Ooh, I love that idea, Zack! When I get a phone that functions correctly, I will definitely be taking advantage of any "notepad" feature it has.

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