The Case Against Keeping A Fiction Writer’s Idea Notebook
There are two sides to the spontaneous idea-collection strategy — here’s one
I’m want to set the table on this story before I move forward. I love myself a notebook. I’ve got information capture devices with me at all times — even a waterproof notepad for my shower. I carry a digital recorder when I drive and at the beginning of the day I take my notes from the previous day and file them where they need to go.
That being said I keep very few idea notes for my fiction.
If an idea pops into my mind I’ll title the story in my phone, using Scrivenir. I’ll add a two-sentence synopsis and that’s it. I capture the idea before it leaves then I forget about it.
My current idea notebook method wasn’t always the case.
I see this a lot too, so I know I’m not alone. Some authors become obsessed with the idea-building for their stories. They make huge notebooks with character sheets, scene descriptions, clips of photos, colored tabs, dog-ears, and maps like there’s no tomorrow.
…then, a few years ago, I watched a lecture from Stephen King.
King uses the strainer (or sieve/colander, depending on where you live) method. He believes the best story ideas stick with us. We can’t shake them. When a story is good…
