Ideas are everywhere - even in old fuddy duddy museums to the Historic dockyards in Chatham. A trip on the bus, a walk by the river, hike over a hill - all yield ideas.
I used to scribble ideas in notebooks, behind bus-tickets and on post-it stickers. Then came the phone. When I was on the move, I usually opened a new item in my digital post-it and wrote my ideas there.
I discovered that I had a bag full of ideas, starting lines, summaries, synopsis for books from when I started writing seriously. I have moved them from their musty paper files into a large white plastic bag. I am not sure how to sort this now.
Then I have notebooks and note-cards filled with ideas of picture books, non-fiction articles, poems and even novels.
The there is the phone and the tablet and even the PC.
Once in a while I try to bring some order to this chaotic creative process. Do I copy them out into notebooks? But if I have to use a new notebook - all ideas are surely not eligible? Some are cliched. Some are old. Some are just whimsical. Some are just ideas - the topic doesn't even interest me.
So should I just pin them to a board on the wall? Perhaps keep a box-file full of ideas? How do I figure out if some ideas might work together in one book? Maybe there are recurrent themes?
I start to create a file, a folder, some kind of filing system.
I struggle.
I give up.
Surely I can't create books out of all of these. Maybe I should compile them and give them away? Maybe sell writing prompts. Maybe make an e-book out of it.
I don't know. I am not sure I even know which ones to give away or keep - because I have not tabulated them, indexed them.
Perhaps they are like wild oats. They are not meant to be sowed in a row. Maybe they need to be scattered. Just plucked out of their slumber when I chance upon them.
Do you organise your ideas? Do you record them in only one book? Do you have lots of idea-stores?
Tell me about them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find out about Chitra Soundar at www.chitrasoundar.com
I used to scribble ideas in notebooks, behind bus-tickets and on post-it stickers. Then came the phone. When I was on the move, I usually opened a new item in my digital post-it and wrote my ideas there.
I discovered that I had a bag full of ideas, starting lines, summaries, synopsis for books from when I started writing seriously. I have moved them from their musty paper files into a large white plastic bag. I am not sure how to sort this now.
Then I have notebooks and note-cards filled with ideas of picture books, non-fiction articles, poems and even novels.
The there is the phone and the tablet and even the PC.
Once in a while I try to bring some order to this chaotic creative process. Do I copy them out into notebooks? But if I have to use a new notebook - all ideas are surely not eligible? Some are cliched. Some are old. Some are just whimsical. Some are just ideas - the topic doesn't even interest me.
So should I just pin them to a board on the wall? Perhaps keep a box-file full of ideas? How do I figure out if some ideas might work together in one book? Maybe there are recurrent themes?
I start to create a file, a folder, some kind of filing system.
I struggle.
I give up.
Surely I can't create books out of all of these. Maybe I should compile them and give them away? Maybe sell writing prompts. Maybe make an e-book out of it.
I don't know. I am not sure I even know which ones to give away or keep - because I have not tabulated them, indexed them.
Perhaps they are like wild oats. They are not meant to be sowed in a row. Maybe they need to be scattered. Just plucked out of their slumber when I chance upon them.
Do you organise your ideas? Do you record them in only one book? Do you have lots of idea-stores?
Tell me about them.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Find out about Chitra Soundar at www.chitrasoundar.com
www.chitrasoundar.com
2 Comments on Idea Books - Do they work for you?, last added: 5/29/2012
Display Comments
Add a Comment
I have ideas all over the place too. I kind of like it that way. Like sprinkles of inspiration tucked away to find at different times. :-)
I always worry if one brilliant idea is lost in the pile. I think the creative me loves the clutter, the organised me wants a catalogue and search index.