Good Tips for Keeping a Writers Notebook

Any aspiring writers out there in GottaBeMobile land? DailyWritingTips, a blog I thoroughly enjoy, has some really good tips for keeping a writers notebook, which is an essential tool for collecting thoughts on that budding article, story, or novel. Of course, we highly recommend using Tablet PC tools like InkSeine, OneNote, Evernote, and others for keeping the notebook. Any way you choose to do it, though, is up to you. The important thing is that you write – frequently. Personally speaking, I always try to carry a small Moleskine with me for those times when an idea suddenly comes to mind and I don’t have my Tablet PC handy or fumbling around with stand-by and starting the app would be too slow.

Writing every day

One of the best uses for your notebook is to get into the habit of writing every single day. There are lots of different ways to approach this; some which have worked for me (not all at once) are:

• Write first thing in the morning
• Spend five minutes writing at some point in the morning, and five minutes in the afternoon
• Write just before going to bed
• Jot down some notes before starting on your ““proper” writing session of the day

Of course there’ll be days when you feel uninspired, when you have nothing you want to write about, or when you’re hectically busy. But if you’re going to stick with writing fiction long-term, it needs to become part of your daily life.