Topic of the Week - While the Light Bulb Shines

[jer_bear711]

Happy June, everyone!  I hope the summer has started well for you. As you can tell, I took last week off from TotW due to the holiday, and today's is getting in just under the wire due to a deadline (met!). So summer is clearly the Season of Slackery for me. And y'all get to benefit from the entertainment potential of my sleep deprivation.

darwinstorm  doubts

Comments

[jessaslade]

I'm appalled at how many ideas I let slip away because I'm so sure I'll remember them until I get home from work/finish walking the dog/do the dishes/etc. I'd love to have a device to capture them all, but it would have to be implanted in my brain to be truly useful. If I can't reliably carry a pen, I'm not sure what good more advanced tech will do me.

Actually, a pen implanted in my finger -- Wolverine style -- would be enough. Hollowed bone filled with blood... Yup, perfect for a writer.

As it is now, when I do remember my ideas, I keep them in a boring ol' Word doc. I started adding the date and the trigger. For posterity, you know. I hope somebody else has more exciting ideas.

[jer_bear711]

"Hollowed bone filled with blood"--wow, that's the perfect metaphor for what we do, anyway, isn't it? (OK, maybe a little melodramatic, but it feels that way some days, right?)

I've started taking my phone with me to walk the dog (mostly in hopes that I'll get a great shot of her and the neighbor's horses nose-to-nose one of these days ;-), and figure I can always tap something in on the notepad feature or text myself a few words.

notebook

[cheesebk]

as in old fashioned pen and paper. yep. I always carry a pen and if need be even toilet paper turns into a sheet of paper to write your ideas down. hell, even the back of my hand got scribbled on once or twice....

Re: notebook

[jer_bear711]

I never thought about the hand option. But when I'm without paper I tend to be without a pen as well (I cherish those pens that fit inside the spiral of a small notepad).

Re: notebook

[cheesebk]

it's not exactly my favourite option, either. and it's really depressing to find half the ideas gone after using hand lotion ;)

[green_knight]

I have a notebook and a pen on me at all times. If the idea/snippet still looks good when I come home, I'll transfer it to the appropriate file, otherwise, it'll just stay where it is.

[jer_bear711]

Good for you for "downloading" when you get home. Mine tend to stay in the notebooks indefinitely. But if it's the current WIP it usually gets worked in eventually unless it really sucks.

[jer_bear711]

I never thought of using index cards instead of a notebook. Seems like it would make them easier to organize (sometimes I tear out notebook pages and put them in my WIP folder (when I have a WIP folder at all).

And yes, that time between sleep and wakefulness seems to be great for creativity. Must be a brain wave function of relaxation. I have a sleep machine that also has settings for "focus" (alertness) and relaxation.

[catherinehaines]

I have actually set up a MediaWiki set-up on my computer. For those who don't know, MW is the software that Wikipedia etc. run on. So basically I have my own little wiki for my works.

[jer_bear711]

That looks very cool. Is it something you keep offline for your own use, or is it all online and open?

[catherinehaines]

I keep mine on my own computer as it's just mine for reference (and I have a xampp set-up anyway - part of being a web designer). I know one other person who just has a personal install on their website, but with a hidden place on their domain name, and it set to ask people to log in (and won't take any more new accounts).