This is it!
It’s the final week of the 2014 yeah write summer series. Before you get all maudlin, remember you’ve still got time to participate. Check out the weekly kickoff post to find everything you need to know about the guidelines, format, and lounges for our summer series. That’s also where you’ll find the week’s optional prompt (“Have you ever seen the rain?”) and the summer schedule. Finally, don’t forget to drop by the yeah write lounges and the coffeehouse and introduce yourself. They are open 24-7 and would love to see you.
Thinking out loud
So, a few of us got to talking about ideas – where they come from, and how we keep track of them. As busy as we all are, we agreed that keeping track of our ideas takes a lot more energy than one would expect. After all, it doesn’t matter how fabulous the idea is. Maybe it’s the opening line to the next blockbuster novel. But if you forget your idea before you have the chance to write it down, it may as well be complete drivel. So how do we capture those flashes of brilliance? It turns out that everyone has their own tried-and-true method.
My other half and I have a funny little ritual. She’s a magazine reader. I’ll be nose deep in one of my favorite fantasy novels, and suddenly I’m bombarded with a half-dozen of those little postcard-sized subscription inserts you find in every magazine. It’s just one of the little ways she says she loves me. I roll my eyes, stack them on my bedside table, and blow her a kiss before I go back to my book.
What does this have to do with anything? Well, I do most of my microfiction writing in the shower, if you can believe it. I tumble words and phrases around in my head, memorizing sentences and sometimes entire gargleblasters while I wash my hair. When I get out, I head straight for the bedroom and that little stack of subscription cards and jot my thoughts down before I can forget them again. I do have a little notebook as well, but somehow, writing in a notebook seems more permanent. For a first rough draft of a piece, the ephemeral nature of the subscription cards suits me better.
I was curious, so I asked some of the other editors and contributing writers what techniques they use to record their ideas. Some of us are fans of electronic brains of all types.
I use Evernote and my phone or tablet, which are pretty much guaranteed to be in arm’s reach at any moment. even if it’s just jotting down “The infinite ribbon stretching across Russia is a summoning song.” which is a legit note that I wrote myself last week. — Rowan G.
I use a post it note app on my phone and immediately capture dialogue, jokes, and things I hear whilst eavesdropping. I also use Trello to create swipe files of tools and resources, or articles that might inspire a post. — Cindy R.
I used to keep a spreadsheet when I was contributing to three blogs with three very different audiences. #notleftorrightbrained — Courtenay B.
A couple of us — like me — are more old school.
I’ve kept journals for decades, and I go back to them to jolt memories. Things that felt way too personal to write about “back then” don’t seem too painful or raw years later. I also use both the NOTES on my phone and a small notebook to jot things down. Also, receipts and napkins and the back of my kid’s artwork. — Kristin W.
I think best when I’m in the shower, so I try to make sure I have paper and a pen nearby for when I get out so I can jot down notes. Also, I keep a folder of ideas so that as I’m writing one thing I can write down the thing I think of midsentence. I try not use my phone for notes because I tend to forget about them. My tip is to learn what works for you and go with that, even if it’s not what the cool kids are doing. — Michelle L.
And then there are those who use whatever tools are at hand, electronic, pen-and-paper — whatever is available any given moment.
I’m a notebook junkie! I also put a calendar in the back. I stole this idea from Jerry Seinfeld who said he needed something in his face to keep him writing every day. Crossing off each day held him accountable to his work. I also try to keep that notebook by the bed as I’ll sometimes wake up at 3am with an idea. However, I usually forget so then I use my phone. I rarely know what they mean in the morning. — Arden R.
I’m terrible at keeping track of ideas. I have two notebooks I carry around, but if I’ve forgotten them, I use the notepad function on my phone, or send emails to myself, or write stickies on my computer desktop… If I’m working on a book though, I put all of this into a manila file folder. — Natalie R.
I write on whatever happens to be closest when the idea hits. So I have ideas in notebooks, on receipts and scraps of paper I find in my purse, in Word files on my computer, etc. Oh yeah, and I also email stuff to myself. I do try to get the ideas into a folder on my computer (actually, in Dropbox, just in case my computer crashes again), so there is some theoretical method to my madness. At least that’s what I tell people. — Suzanne P.
It was a fascinating conversation — all sorts of tips and ideas from people whose writing and dedication I really respect. But now we want to hear from you. How do you track your ideas? Are you a fan of longhand notes, or would you rather confide in Siri? Give us a hint in the comments – maybe your technique is just what your fellow yeah writer needs to corral those stray thoughts.
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Like Stacie, most of my ideas hit me when I’m walking and on the el. I have a word doc on my desktop at work named Punts. The name is a relic from my college writing days; it stands for P(oetry) Unt(itled). As soon as I come into work, I’ll jot my ideas down. Next to my bed is a stack of index cards full of punts and ideas for genealogy research. And I’ve kept a journal on and off since I was eight. The current volume is kept in the bottom shelf of a bookcase next to the couch in the living room. It is my cat’s number 1 spot to take a nap.
The only time I really handwrote any inspirational memos was in basic- I had no choice there. I prefer to type. My fingers type as fast as my thoughts fly.
We have a pretty strict “no electronics in the bedroom” rule at my house. That’s why these little random slips of paper work so well!
I have several notebooks. I also write on napkins in restaurants, receipts in stores, whatever I can find in the moment. I’ve started using my phone’s notepad function like Natalie, but I prefer pencils and paper.
I love the idea of using voice memos, etc., especially if I’m riding my bike or otherwise can’t get to pen and paper or phone. But I am so incredibly self-conscious about speaking my own stuff out loud that I never do it.
Loved this! I have a doc in my Google drive called “Nuggets” where I jot down little bits and pieces of stories and descriptions. I get ideas sometimes while driving and will record them on a voice memo on my phone or email them to myself when I get somewhere. Sometimes I will think about something while I am falling asleep at night and will turn it over through the night while in and out of sleep and write it all down when I wake up. (That rarely happens, but is fun when it does).
This is a great post! Love the conversation. Like Rowan, I use Evernote. It’s great because I always have my phone near me to jot down ideas, and then when I open my laptop I can copy and paste them into a Word document or a blog post, where I can play around with them. I tend to get my best ideas, though, when I can’t get to my phone (either when I’m in the shower, or when the battery is dead). In those cases, I try to repeat the line(s) over and over until I can find some way of recording them. Doesn’t always work. I’ve tried keeping cold, hard paper notebooks but for whatever reason, the words just don’t seem to flow for me when I have a pen in hand. Strange…
I text myself when things come to mind and I need to get it down right away. I use an app called Idea Store. It lets me jot down notes and then assign them to general categories (books, posts, etc.). I also write notes and keep them in a notebook depending on the project. I’m all over the place.
In case anyone wants to see an example, here’s a small stack of my notes laid out for you: http://trudgingthroughfog.wordpress.com/2014/08/18/my-big-ideas/
I love this post, how fun!
Typically me, I don’t have a tried and true method. I use Notes on my phone, bits of paper. I keep a notebook in my purse. A lot of my random ideas pop in after a few glasses of wine, but then my notes are shorter and the next day I can’t remember what I was trying to say. ha! Must remember to take better notes.
*typical
I love hearing all the ways people collect ideas. I’ve had more than one occasion when I’ve been SURE I would remember a fantastic idea…only to have a “Doh!” Homer Simpson moment when I finally sat down to record it.
I keep a composition journal next to my bed.
This is a fun topic! I try to use the notes on my phone, but sometimes it’s tricky. I do most of my thinking when I’m hiking with my dogs so it’s not always convenient to stop and make a note. But I have noticed that if I do not make the notes, the perfectly formed sentences and ideas have flown away by the time I get home (my walks are an hour).
Well, my IPod is running low on memory because of the sheer quantity of notes on it. Those things range from story arc ideas, to article/ramble plans, to character development, to concepts etc…. I also carry a sketchbook with me at school (to try to minimize the amount of doodles in my lecture notes), the last few pages of which has recently started to welcome some story rough drafts, and prototype lines.