The Writing Notebook

[paragraphs]

How many of you writerly types make and keep up with writing notebooks? As in organizing notebooks, specific to the story you are working on currently.  For the first time, I am preparing one to drag around with me instead of relying on keeping things straight in my head.  Am curious for those who do use them, what you put in them and why you

Comments

[sartorias]

I used to use them--have kept one from high school for my own amusement--but now one notebook isn't practical for various projects.

[paragraphs]

You do have a lot going on at all times, too, at any given time - I am trying the ONE THING, ONE THING ONLY, FOCUS thing. The only bad thing I can say about finally being in the swing of this book is that I find it very hard to sleep at night as I can't stop trying out new ways to handle the same scene.

[sartorias]

Heh! Welcome to the cantina!

[paragraphs]

LOL! I have to think it is a GOOD thing that after all the previous years (around 5) of trying to really sink into a new story (and I have tried 3-4 times with different ones - this is the one that finally clicked), that I am finally doing so to this point of sleeplessness? But I really need a good night's sleep every night to handle the job. Dilemma!

[catsintheattic]

I don't keep a novel-related notebook. I have a journal, and therein goes everything related to writing, be it a journal entry, a creative writing exercise, notes from a writing seminar, or notes related to a current project. Keeping different journals for all that made me feel more scatter-brained, especially when a creative writing exercise suddenly turned into an exercise about a current project.

I started writing a journal when I was fifteen, and have been doing it ever since (with the exception of a few years in my late twenties). Writing helps me clear my head. Even today, when I can't get into a scene, I use my journal and blabber so long to myself until I finally know what to write. And then I switch to Scrivener. :-)

[paragraphs]

A friend made the suggestion to me that I actually use the journal thing to write down all the notes pertinent to each chapter, AFTER writing the chapter. She does that and it helps her tremendously during the rewrite and ultimately writing the synopsis. I really like that idea a lot.

Scrivener is the best - now that I finally have it mastered :).

[catsintheattic]

Isn't that what is called a "writing bible" or something like that? Where you keep track of everything that's going on, so that you don't get lost?

I wish I had mastered Scrivener - I feel like I'm using only ten percent or less of what it can do. The variety sometimes scares me, since it takes so long to find out everything Scrivener can do and how to customise it.

And I've been eyeing another program, DramaQueen, which is very intuitive and visual and gives you graphs of sub-plots and plot with tension peaks and everything, and the choice to show the story from the perspective of various characters - lots of structural information (which I love). Also, it's a German product, with the advantage of a working SPAG - the one you get for Scrivener in German is completely useless. Lol.

[paragraphs]

Oh wow DramaQueen (hilarious name!) looks amazing! I will have to check it out better. Scrivener for Mac is supposed to be better than the windows version but having a friend who has mastered it who can show you all the cool things is really the easiest way to go about it

[stargazer60]

I have so many notebooks filled with stories I've written. I'm old fashioned and hand write everything...it's the typing it up that I fail at!

I have one completed story handwritten but only like four chapters typed up.

I seriously need to stop binge watching tv shows (LOL!) and start typing this stuff!

[paragraphs]

YES YOU DO. I told myself the EXACT same thing - after I finished Call the Midwife. LOL!!! I think it is fine to binge-watch but not every single night and day all day. :) And yes you should type those up!!! I make myself immediately type up what I wrote before, as soon as possible.

[momebie]

I keep notebooks, but not organized notebooks. I've tried breaking them down and keeping different notebooks for different projects, but those just end up getting lost or I inevitably don't have the one I want to make notes in at any given time. Now I just make sure to have a multi-purpose moleskine on me at all times. This is this year's.

[paragraphs]

I should look into that type of Moleskin. It has to have the squares though - I am Square Moleskin person. I gave my daughter a yellow one and I took it back last night, hmph. I still can't believe I am going to do 250k, but I need to insanely commit. That is only 5k a week, and I already had the goal of finishing this by the end of May, so I BELIEVE.

[caninepawprints]

I love the stuffed animal! I used to have one of my favorite breed (Siberian Husky) but haven't been able to find them in stores lately. :(