Writer's Notebook

Before starting, reserve a few pages at the front of your writer's notebook for a table of contents. You can number each subsequent page so you can easily find lists and items when you need them.

To start, I leave a few pages at the beginning of a notebook blank as a place to collect inspirational quotes about writing. Here are a few I've written in my writer's notebook:

"If there's a book you really want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it."

-- Toni Morrison

"The ancient commission of the writer has not changed. He is charged with exposing our many grievous faults and failures, with dredging up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams, for the purpose of improvement."

- John Steinbeck, from his Nobel Prize acceptance speech

"Anyone who believes you can't change history has never tried to write his memoirs."

-- David Ben Gurion

"I'm not a very good writer, but I'm an excellent rewriter."

-- James Michener

"You must stay drunk on writing so reality cannot destroy you."

-- Ray Bradbury

You can use your writer's notebook for anything your creative mind comes up with, that relates to your writing. This is not an ordinary journal and shouldn't have your free-floating thoughts on life in general. Think of it as a tool that will assist you in building your writing career.

For example, if you hear something and think, "That would be a great title for a novel," that's something that should be written into your writer's notebook. Do not trust your memory to keep these kinds of thoughts. Thoughts are here one minute and soon gone, like clouds floating by that cannot be captured.

Write everything down, regardless of how nonsensical it seems to you at the time. Ten years from now it may inspire you with an idea for a writing project you can't now foresee.

You could fill your notebook chronologically, but I'd find that format difficult to utilize. Instead I write lists. Here's a list of some of the pages I have in my writer's notebook:

Article ideas
Publishers to query
Character names, sometimes with character traits
Novel titles
Descriptive passages or phrases
YA novel ideas
Fragments of real conversations
Lines (that I'd like to include in a novel)
Sub plot ideas
Humor clips
Writers to read
How to fix my novel
Short story ideas
Comparisons and descriptions
Children's novel ideas
Research
"Mom" article ideas (your passion may vary)
A plan for 2008
Cool lines that beg to be used
E-book ideas
Website development
Themes to use in story development
Horror plots
Autobiography notes
Quotes about writing

The topics for your pages will be inspired by your imagination.

It is a good idea to take your writer's notebook with you wherever you go. That's probably why the pocket-sized Moleskine notebook is so popular. I use a much larger, spiral bound notebook and have a hard time fitting it into my active lifestyle. It fits fine inside my AlphaSmart case, however.

You never know when a cool writing inspiration will come to you. Don't be caught without a place to write it down, because thoughts are not something you can re-capture easily.

I just had to include this amazing art - if you're a book lover like me, surely you can identify with my love for it! This is how I feel about my writer's notebook. It is one of my most cherished possessions.

The Ultimate Book Art Print, by François Schuiten
Buy at AllPosters.com

If you're feeling uninspired, bored, or blocked, take your notebook outside. Get away from your normal writing area for a brainstorming session.

If you can, take a few hours to visit a park or riverside, or hill. Go there with your notebook, get comfy on a camping chair or something similar, and enjoy a writer's session with fresh air and fresh ideas.

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© 2009-2010 LindaJM - All rights reserved.

Thanks for visiting my writer's notebook page here at Squidoo. I've been writing more than 40 years! During that time I've filled many writer's notebooks and journals. I've written a bit about my backup system here: My Writing Protection System. You can see a photo of some of my writer's notebooks there. Have a great day!