Making Notes
Perhaps the most obvious yet crucial thing I have learnt in
my studies is that to be a writer I have to write. I don’t just mean when the whim takes me to
do so, or inspiration strikes, I mean every day. Even if it’s just scribbling in a diary, or
making observations about my surroundings, it all counts, it’s all practice.
There is of course an added benefit to all of this note
taking, in that my journal or note book becomes a source of potential
inspiration. By writing down even the
most mundane details about my day, I may create something that can be used
later. Writing about my surroundings and
observations about other people, often just strangers who pass by, can lead to
inspiration for settings or characters.
Finding
Inspiration
There are many methods to help a writer find ideas for
something to write about:
·
Free Writing – this is my most common method, I
literally pick a topic and start writing.
Sometimes the topic comes from a note in my journal, or a random thought. Sometimes it’s from a passing comment or as in the case of my short story
‘Bounce’, from listening to the radio.
·
Lists – for someone who is as obsessively organised
and structured as me, this idea really appeals to me, yet strangely had never
occurred to me before starting my courses.
The key is to make lists of things that matter to you, it doesn’t matter
how small or insignificant they seem at the time. I’ve had a go at making a few lists now;
things that make me happy or angry, things I wish I’d done differently, or
hadn’t done at all, things that scare me, the options are unlimited.
·
When To Write – a lot of writers have
preferences for the time of day when they write. Some like to write early in the morning
before they do anything else, others late at night before they go to sleep. It becomes a ritual, a fixed time when they
sit down and write, rather than just waiting until they feel inspired. Like most things with writing though, the key
is finding what works for you. There is
no right or wrong answer. Personally, I
like to write early in the morning, when everything is quiet and there are fewer
distractions. However, that doesn’t stop
me from carrying around a note book and scribbling away at every opportunity I
get throughout the day, and often night as well.
·
Mind Mapping – start by writing a word in the
centre of a page and then write down anything connected to it. Smells, emotions, facts, anything. Somewhere in the jumble of random words and
interconnecting lines, there may be a story lurking.
