This has already been touched upon many times, I'm sure. I'm in a bad pass homework-wise right now. Basically, I've got more than I can chew, and from the moment I wake up to the moment I go to sleep I have time to go to school, go home, eat, work, and go to bed. Trouble is, I want to write. Desperately. I've got this story taking shape in my mind and it's just so fresh. How do I store it for later without losing my enthusiasm for it?
Posted by sojoyful (Member # 2997) on :
Dictation machine! Buy a little one and carry it around with you EVERYWHERE. When you get an idea, just talk into the machine until you've put the entire idea there, and then move on.
I worked at a school last year, and between Christmas and Spring Break (about 3 months) I had no time to myself. By the time Spring Break came and I could squirrel myself away to write, my dictation tapes were full. It was pretty neat to go back and 'transcribe' because the small bits on the tape could finally be fleshed out with patient thought.
A cheap one will do - nothing fancy necessary.
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
Write in your head, until you do get the chance to write it down. And I also endorse the notebook idea, if you've got the pocket space...
Posted by Leigh (Member # 2901) on :
I just store the ideas in my mind, no matter how busy I am I always remember the bold fresh new idea I had, say maybe a month ago. I've had one idea for over a year now and I've only just started it. It's already formed into possibly one half of a novel so far.
I also agree with the pocket notebook idea, I should also do it.
Posted by hoptoad (Member # 2145) on :
What do they say? The bluntest pencil is sharper than the sharpest mind.
Jot ideas down. Don't store them in your head. You will only keep the biggest ones that way and lose the important supporting ones.
Leave the notebook and pencil on your pillow.
[This message has been edited by hoptoad (edited November 28, 2005).]
Posted by Dude (Member # 1957) on :
I keep a writing journal. It's not a journal for reflection or thoughts--it is a notebook where I write down story ideas. Usually, I write just a couple of sentences that outline the basic idea/plot. Just enough to remind me later when I go back to it. I know how it is when you have this great idea in the morning, but by the end of the day it has been pushed out of your head by work, school, etc. Sometimes it just takes a word or two for it all to come flooding back in. I carry my journal in my briefcase, but you can toss it in your bookbag or keep a small one in your pocket.
Posted by TheoPhileo (Member # 1914) on :
Personally, I'm not big on dictation machines. I turn them on and can't say a thing.
But the pocket notebook idea has worked well for me. Get a pack of those little pocket-sized steno pads, and carry one around with you everywhere. Whenever you have an idea, jot it down. Whenever you have a few spare minutes, pull it out and mull over the characters and plotline.
[This message has been edited by TheoPhileo (edited November 28, 2005).]
Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :
Sorry, homework caught up with me.
Thanks a lot. The notebook idea sounds like a good one (I reckon I'd feel foolish talking into a dictation machine).
Posted by Robert Nowall (Member # 2764) on :
On the storing of ideas in your head: I generally think of something (well, doesn't everybody?) and then develop it in my head. Then I write it down and develop it some more...then decide whether to forget the whole thing or not.
I also have the old Lennon / McCartney idea in my head, that if an idea (or in their case, song) is any good, you'd remember it without having to dig up what it's recorded on.
Posted by sojoyful (Member # 2997) on :
quote:I reckon I'd feel foolish talking into a dictation machine.
Oh, I definitely feel foolish. But hey, it works. And the only person who ever has to listen to them is me. And it's great for those situations where writing is inconvenient, like when you're driving.
Posted by Silver3 (Member # 2174) on :
Sojoyful: so far, I'm not driving because I can't afford a car and I live in a big city where there's plenty of public transport. So I can write pretty much any time (even during lessons ) Robert: yeah, I do the same, think a little, write a little, re-think, re-write. Trouble is I have the story ready to be written now, and that's what I want to store (because right now there's no way I can fit that into my schedule: the only leisure activity I have now is browsing this forum and a couple of others, otherwise I'd go mad).
Posted by rcorporon (Member # 2879) on :
Notebooks work for me, but I also let thing ferment in my brain for a time.
I have been amazed at how different an idea is after a few weeks stewing in my brain.
I think Asimov called this the "Eureka phenominom (sp?)" where you let your brain work subconsciously and then see what happens.
And it's great for those situations where writing is inconvenient, like when you're driving.
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