I know some writers carry a notebook with them for jotting down ideas or writing small segments they plan to plug into something larger when they get around to it. Some people might use their phones, but it's basically the same idea. Do you do this? Do you find it beneficial for you as a writer? I've done this at times, but it's never been something I've been consistent with. I tend to believe if I've got something good it will come back to me when I need it. I mean it seems really hard to be a writer 24/7. And more often than not I tend to completely forget about or just not go back to whatever I scribbled down while I was out that I thought at the time was so important. But maybe I'm doing myself a disservice by not going back to flesh out some of those thoughts and ideas. I don't know. What do you guys do when it comes to this?
I always carry a notebook in my handbag and keep one on my side table when I go to bed. I use it to jot down random ideas as and when. I'm currently plotting out a series. and it's amazing what ideas creep into my mind when I least expect it. Last night, it was 3 am!
I have only recently started to keep a notebook. I am trying to get into a routine to set aside a few minutes each day during lunch time to jot down ideas and then expand upon them later.
I have several at home but none I carry. I used to carry one for work but then discovered that any to-do list that didn't fit on a sticky note on my laptop was too long to accomplish in a day. That eventually became my personal operational model. Sell the sticky-note, sell the day. Then there's the half a dozen giant ass wipeboards in my office that are filled with shit, but that's a different model.
I've lost too many awesome ideas by simply completing a task that I was doing when it came to me, or just walking into another room which somehow can wipe my "brain RAM" in an instant. I say, have something you can record ideas on within reach at all times, and when something comes to you, stop what you're doing and write it down.
There is paper and pencil in just about every single room in my house, and I carry a notepad and about ten different writing utensils in my bag. I also never leave the house without a book. If I'm about to finish one, I'll bring another just in case. I do find it rare to actually need the notepad in my bag, unless I'm scribbling a note for something happening in life, but it has come in handy several times.
Always. Sometimes when I go somewhere an idea, or something else can appear in my head, and I note it all. You never know when I wave of inspiration will come, so you have to be ready
I bought a couple of notebooks and usually have them fairly nearby but never use them. I tried a couple of years ago but it didn't add anything to my process, which involves having an idea, thinking about it at length, usually whilst driving or doing something mundane, sitting down to a first draft that may not even contain the original ideas that caught my interest, write and edit as I go, during which those originals will often come back and get inserted but not always, leave a few days, edit again several times and consider it done when read through only leads to minor adjustments. I'd add that my output is pretty much confined to short stories with a couple of short novelette length pieces, which also started as much shorter stories but ideas for extras arrived while driving, so not getting lost with elaborate plotlines or story progression. I do sometimes get lost while driving though.
Absolute! Carry bag everywhere containing everything I need "in case". Have been practising this for 2 years. People that know me think I'm nuts or I'm retarded in some way (no, not kidding). Either way, I don't care. It helps me a lot
I always carried notebooks with me where-ever I was going, especially on public transport. I was always jotting things down, whether on the train, or at work (during lunch breaks), or at the park, or where-ever. I have something like 9 or 10 notebooks, full of scribbles. I say "carried" because, in this era of the mobile phone, I now have an app called "Keep Notes" which does the same thing. It has the advantage that, when I'm done with the note, I can copy-and-pasta it into an email and email it to myself. Then, when I get home, I can grab whatever I was working on, copy-and-pasta it into Notepad or Word, and keep working. It's exactly the same as a physical notepad, but I don't have to type out everything again. That's all. In all other respects, it's very similar to a physical notepad.
I carry a notebook in by pack, but I more often find myself jotting down ideas on scraps of paper, just so I don't loose the initial thought. There's no guarantee it'll come back to be later.
I bought a pocket notebook today for that sole purpose. I found I do better writing ideas on paper than I do on my phone.
Goodness yes. I keep a five subject notebook for keeping outlines of my planned stories, a single notebook for writing out any story that might be in my head (and any random notes), and a bunch of notecards at work for other things that pop up. I also keep scrap paper for when I run across interesting names at work.
