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| The Moleskine etc. portion of my notebook collection. |
(No disrespect meant to Brian Kiteley‘s wonderful book.)
One of the side effects I’ve noticed from trying to be prolific every day, all year, is that ideas rather bombard you. I’m constantly scribbling down snippets and fragments and possibilities. Most of them won’t become stories but some will, and they all need to be recorded. And while I love gadgets, thumbing a stray idea into my phone’s memo program (actually I do have a document program and it’s pretty spiffy) is not the same as scribbling it into whatever patient notebook is keeping my company these days.
For me, the question isn’t “How do you get your ideas?” but “How do you keep your ideas under control?”
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| My notebook bookcase. |
The journals are a part of the process. A few years ago I found that if I stopped writing for the day but wrote what I wanted to happen next by hand, that helped me get started the next day. (It doesn’t always work, but it certainly never hurts.) And since I am back at a day job (technically a night job, but anyway) and have eight hours where there is no time or mental energy to write (believe me, I’ve tried–see above about the document program on my phone) I need to have a way to make notes when I need them, since ideas don’t stop coming whether it’s convenient or not. It’s a bit like how all your best ideas always come when you’re driving or in the shower or about to fall asleep. When your mind wanders, it tends to find things.
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| More notebooks, plus the Neil Gaiman section of my personal library. |
For instance, last night between one training activity and another, I realized something about a character whose novel I’ve been writing since 2008, off and on, and first wrote about in 2005. That’s right, an 11 p.m. epiphany.
And now this novel that’s felt like an uphill struggle for almost four years makes a lot more sense, and I know how to make the ending what it deserves to be, and I expect to scribble down a few more things before the night is through.
I love it when that happens.
I know a lot of people feel they can only write when they feel inspired, and if that works for you, okay. But for me, the more open and ready for inspiration you are, the sooner it becomes a daily companion.
Today I bought two more blank journals. There is no more room for them on the bookcases that contain my blank journals.
My only response to this is to laugh.
