tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post531380228631521912..comments2023-11-07T21:12:19.852-06:00Comments on Wyrdsmiths: Writingtate hallawayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06631759014508937940noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-23113344502449257232010-05-21T07:57:19.025-05:002010-05-21T07:57:19.025-05:00I was an early adopter of Evernote. It's come ...I was an early adopter of Evernote. It's come in very handy for my note keeping / storage ~ and it's available on my phone or any internet-enabled computer I use.<br /><br />Before this I had gods know how many Word docs flying around in various directories on my hard drive - hard to keep up with and if one got deleted, it was just gone forever.<br /><br />I only work on one story at a time, but notes are a must.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-58237063352668917952010-05-18T12:47:58.901-05:002010-05-18T12:47:58.901-05:00Head is where I used to keep it all, but as the ye...Head is where I used to keep it all, but as the years have gone by and the space has gotten ever more cluttered I find that I need multiple types of outline, stuff files, and with the new books, glossaries and lines of succession.Kelly McCulloughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06399122960869198042noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-4879032760429525062010-05-18T10:46:24.320-05:002010-05-18T10:46:24.320-05:00In my head, the ideas are usually a big jumble, so...In my head, the ideas are usually a big jumble, so I keep a page to fill with notes and thoughts as they occur to me and the act of writing them down usually smoothes them out a little. <br /><br />I don't know if I'd call it an outline, but it's usually broken up by chapters and written out in a kind of quick sketch short hand. <br /><br />If I'm not at the computer, I just jot the idea down on any piece of paper I have and, at the end of the day, spill out a handful of little crumpled up notes and transcribe them over.Jonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09581880415411016683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-73064189153395498182010-05-18T08:44:42.326-05:002010-05-18T08:44:42.326-05:00I used to keep most of my plot ideas in my head bu...I used to keep most of my plot ideas in my head but then got a chronic illness that made that impossible. After a decade in the the dark, last year I finally came back to writing novels again, but I can't do it the same way so it's been like re-learning how to write.<br /><br />The first thing I learned about the new order of things was that in order to preserve ideas long enough to work with them, I had to essentially draft 80% of the structure of a novel in notes first, everything from plots and big themes to smaller motifs and character sketches/backstory material. The next thing I learned was that this approach works so well for me that I should have been doing it all along, lol. I don't organize the whole of the notes, I just label them clearly, and then when I'm working on a particular section I cruise through the whole and pick all the pieces that apply to that section and put those into a small outline.jen@ywthttp://you-would-think.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-68393710256530815322010-05-18T06:13:37.532-05:002010-05-18T06:13:37.532-05:00Aside from the occasional, intruding short story, ...Aside from the occasional, intruding short story, I generally only work on one novel at a time, so I'm able to keep it all in my head, as you say. (I <i>do</i> keep a note file for the current novel.) Nonetheless, I am always making notes about other story ideas. I write them into files that reside on my hard drive, and I consult them when my interest turns that way.<br /><br />By keeping the note files, I find that I can liberate my mind from the worry of keeping too much in my head. Knowing my notes are safely stored elsewhere I don't have to worry about forgetting them, and I can focus on the novel I'm working on.Paul Lambhttp://www.paullamb.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32085591.post-81180993230197365402010-05-17T15:34:42.217-05:002010-05-17T15:34:42.217-05:00I mostly use my mind as my note repository. But s...I mostly use my mind as my note repository. But since I started using the Scrivener program for Macs, I'm able to easily jot down thoughts that come to me while I'm writing. Often that's when I see deeper into the complications of the plot and tease out important implications. But just as often I have those a-ha moments just as I'm waking up. Then I try to play them out long enough that I'll remember then when I next open my lap top. (And of course, my writing group serves as a nice set of auxiliary minds). <br /><br />btw: I think it's great that that particular poem is set in concrete on our city's sidewalks (and I love the images you've posted to the site.)<br /><br />cheers from a former student of Lyda'sLisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14172497258908454776noreply@blogger.com