Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Writer's Notebooks


Recently I've been teaching adults. One is a creative writing course at the local community college and the other is teachers in an online course in teaching writing. Both address keeping a writer's notebook. Now me, I am totally right brained and random abstract. I could never, and would never want the ghastly job of being an accountant. I need something to keep the right brain revved up, and accounting just wouldn't do it. Besides math is a four letter word. Anyway, forever I kept notes on scraps of paper whenever I noticed something I didn't want to forget and thought I might one day work a small portion into my writing somehow. Sometimes it was just the way another writer skewered something, other times it might be a memory that was jogged, and observation, a thread that lead me somewhere in thought, a new idea. But those golden nuggets were spread between the bottom of my purse, a desk drawer, a pocket, the kitchen counter--in other words they were pretty useless because I didn't keep track of them. And then I was at a writing seminar and this writer displayed her writer's notebook. I can remember the slap I gave to my forehead thinking, wow, what a concept! How lame is that? I'd never thought of it. Immediately I purchased a big ole spiral notebook that I tried to drag around with me everywhere, but found that didn't work in the middle of the grocery store. So next, I purchased a smaller steno pad. After two entries in that and trying to cram it in my purse I realized that was futile as well. Then I saw this beautiful journal in Barnes & Noble and just knew that if I had that, I would collect all kinds of wonderful notes and artifacts that would spark my writing and hurtle me toward bestsellerdom. I have pages of notes, taped-in magazine and newspaper articles, pictures, wonderful stuff that may someday trickle into a story. Trouble is, I do a lot of my best thinking while driving. I'd try to scribble something down on the seat beside me while doing 60 mph, and some of you are thinking right now, oh my god, I was on the road with her! After enough near misses, I bought a little bitty personal recorder and that has worked out better. Once I'm home I can transcribe whatever I said into it into my lovely Barnes & Noble journal. I have to be careful not to abuse my tiny personal recorder and fill it up with reminders to pick up my prescription, don't forget to stop and get bread, take the clothes to the cleaner, send the tax collector a check, etc. Otherwise I don't have room for my writerly notes. And of course I can't forget to transcribe my verbal recordings of writing wisdom or record over them. But sometimes, right brain takes control and I do just that. In the long run, my notebook is indespensible. It is where I collect my life and return to repeadedtly to fuel my right brain. Anybody else keep a writer's notebook?

10 comments:

G.M. Malliet said...

Another person who writes her books on scraps of paper! Yay! I have also been known to scribble notes on my hand when I'm in traffic. The key here is to remember the note is there *before* you wash your hands.

I also get good ideas in the shower, and will jot whatever it is on the mirror in lipstick or eyeliner until I get a chance to transribe it. (I don't really use a notebook; I just try to get my collection of scraps into the computer as quickly as possible.)

Yes, some days are stranger than others here at Casa Malliet, but the mirrors sparkle (Windex nicely gets rid of the makeup).

Deborah Sharp said...

Absolutely! I couldn't live without my notebook; take it everywhere.
But it isn't pristine with JUST the writerly thoughts. Grocery lists. Dry cleaner tickets. Journal-like rants to myself about all sorts of matters . . . will my husband NEVER learn to clean up after himself? . . .
Still, that might become a story someday, in which a wife strangles her husband with a wet towel from the floor!

Sue Ann Jaffarian said...

I don't carry a physical note book, but I've been known to text myself notes when a great idea occurs. Now, thanks to the day job, I have a Blackberry, so I just e-mail myself.

I also get some of my best ideas in the shower. I keep my computer on 24/7 when I'm home and only shut it down when I go to work. That way I can jot it down there when the urge strikes. I keep a "notes" file on the computer and a physicial "notes" file in a filing cabinet for articles I've found that generate future plot lines.

There's just no way around a writer NOT being a bit of a pack rat.

Terri Thayer said...

I couldn't live without my voice recorder. I take it in the car, on walks. It usually contains my best ideas. Sometimes just talking them through is enough.

As for notes, I just found a note from 2004 to incorporate blueprint fabric in the third quilting mystery. Funny because when I was writing Ocean WAves, in 2008, I came up with this brilliant, unique, brand spanking new idea. Blueprint fabric!

My hope is that my brain is better at keeping track of my notes than I am.

Terri Thayer said...

Deb - I wrote a short story about a guy who gets killed because he used his wife's good scissors.

Perfectly good reason to me.

Mark Combes said...

In some vane attempt to emulate Hemingway or Matisse, I carry a moleskine notebook. Unlined of course - could never stay within the the lines anyway...

http://www.moleskineus.com/moleskine-soft-pocket-plain.html

Felicia Donovan said...

As you well may expect, it's a digital recorder for me. In fact, I have two. One doubles as my MP3 player but has a little microphone built in and the other comes with all the bells and whistles and even transcribes via a speech-to-text program. That is not to say I don't still have several mini spiral notebooks when batteries are low.

Now if only I had the means to just think the idea and it would appear on the screen, that would be awesome. Well...on second thought, maybe not...

Kim Smith said...

Raising hand! me me me! I took my notebook with me last Saturday to my fav. little restaurant, and had a family next to me that was PERFECT to eavesdrop on. I got some very funny stuff. Thank Goodness for notebooks!

G.M. Malliet said...

Mark - I've also been tempted by their storyboard notebook:
http://www.moleskineus.com/storybook.html
Just because I seldom use notebooks in the way they were intended doesn't stop me from buying the things.

Thomas said...

Scraps of paper for me.