slayerofangels

You can't just open a notebook and expect ideas to flow. Personally I just keep it around and jot in it whenever an idea comes to me, be in the middle of a lecture or wherever. Though admittedly a lot of crap gets in there too.

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RomanticRose

You may be subconsciously editing/cutting ideas before you write them down.
"Neah, that's not original" -- write it down, and find a twist to make it your own
"That doesn't make sense" -- write it down, when you have a moment, play with it and find the way to make it make sense

The notebook is a way to brainstorm with yourself. Throw anything out there. No evaluating, no judging. Just put it out there and worry about its viability later. 90-95% of the miscellaneous jottings will never be used, and you may even wonder what the heck you were under the influence of when you wrote it down. But that other 5-10% might just turn into your first novel.

My current general fiction novel (as opposed to the romance novels I write for money) in progress had its seed in my notebook. Just two lines, Karma's a bitch. Love and hate are only connections; the particular dynamic doesn't really matter.

There's also the possibility that the notebook method just isn't for you. Not everything works for everyone.

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Confuzzled

I've never used a notebook.. nor even thought of doing that.... when I get crazy ideas I attack the person nearest to me. And it usually ends up in an insane discussion about renegade android frogs from the planet Zorgon... but seriously, I have found that throwing these ideas around with someone else is a great way to get perspective.

Even if you're just using the person as a wall and literally bouncing the ideas before the person has anything to say, actually giving voice to your thoughts helps you to discern whether they have any merit or not.

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lilacstarflower

i keep different notebooks for different topics and when an idea comes i scribble it down in as much detail as i can. Even though it looks like a loads of old ramblings when i do read over it weeks later, i have an inclination of what i was meaning. Maybe if you write down when/where your idea came in your notebook as well it will jog your memory back and maybe help you 'fill in the blanks'.

This can be a problem at work where i don't take any notebooks because my work colleagues have a bad habit of raking through everyones backpacks However, if i find myself having a little creative inspiration at work i write on just about anything that allows itself to be vandalized with a Biro and keep it in my pocket until i can reach my notebook.

At the moment one of my notebooks is filled with pages of dialogs and nothing else so when i'm feeling up to the challenge i'll try and create a story out of that... geez didn't realize i was rambling so much myself here

Foxee

Why didn't you reply in the original 'notebook' thread, Ox? Any special reason why your view needed a separate thread?

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murder_of_crows

check it out it is really helpfull i love it FLY Fusion Pentop Computer browse around it is pretty cool

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valeca

Moderation Note: Threads merged.

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The Backward OX

Umm, well yes, actually.

The other thread seemed to be making a statement; a statement about keeping a notebook.

Mine was asking a question about thought processes.

The sub-title "back to basics", which strangely seems to have vanished, was used for that specific reason.

I could have titled the thread "Any consciousness experts out there anywhere?" and still used the identical wording for my original post.

As I was seeking opinions about thought processes, I had considered it improbable that the attention of those I sought was likely to be found amongst those responding to an OP making a statement about notebooks.

I think you might see for yourself the difference between the responses to the two threads.

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slayerofangels

currently one...but I can see the point.

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Malone

When I would dot down ideas like you see to have done, OX, I'd never go back and look at them. If I did, I usually wouldn't remember what the hell I was thinking when I wrote them, so they were worthless.
Now, I just actually write in it. If I'm around other people when the idea comes, I just block everything out and ignore the people while I fill a page or two with a rough copy of story. I'm sure it seems odd to others when I just go mute and start scrawling into the notebook, and some writers might not be able to block everything out like I can, but it's the best way I've found to do it.
The only "short" things I write down are quotes I hear people say throughout my day that I find worth remembering, and make a mental note that I've saved them. Then, when I'm writing later, if something hits that mental note, I remember to go look up the quote. Sometimes I just scan through them and see if there is anything I can use in what I'm currently writing, or even a quote that I can build a story around.

Mike C

The notebook thing's never worked for me either. If I have an idea for a story, it either evaporates or gets sticky. If it's the latter, other ideas start sticking to it until I have something fully formed that demands to be written and won't go away.

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Loulou

The mind is the greatest notebook. The ink never dries, the paper never runs out. Having said that I have written ideas on scraps of paper. By the time I read them again I've often taken it further anyway. Not got a notebook though. Finances however are different. I write my finances up in a striped, categorised notepad. Dead sexy.

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Mike C

Wow Loulou, you sure do live on the edge!

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Loulou

You should see what I can do with a calculator...

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smilinghelps

I have no doubt Loulou!

I used to keep a notebook by my bed. In the middle of the night I would sit up and write down the most obscure thoughts--once in a while I would write a bizarre poem or something from my midnight ramblings. But mostly it interrupted my sleep as I would dream about being creative. It did work but I was really tired, so I gave it up.

Now when something hits me that I have to write, I just write it down. I'm usually near a computer so I can type it out--but I also keep paper and pens around just in case. But no "notebook" for me.

There's always a calculator in my purse though...

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