Notebook of Ideas

 

I’ve been thinking a lot about ideas lately. It’s one of the questions I get asked most as an author (and I’d wager it’s the same for most writers): Where do you get your ideas?

I wish there were a secret lock box in my closet, up on a high, dusty shelf in which I could rummage and pull out sparkling ideas. Wouldn’t that be something? It would never come up empty, and every single idea would be a key, immediately unlocking the most stubbornly barred doors of my brain.

But since that’s not possible (or is it? If you know of such a lock box, please email me), I’m always on the lookout for ways to fire up my imagination. Not a lot of people know this, but writing’s a job like any other. And like any other job, it has the tendency to become fairly routine if you let it. I sit at my desk for about 5-6 hours every weekday, typing at my computer. Sometimes my prose falls flat, and I find myself writing less-than-inspired dialog or description. That’s when I usually do some sort of exercise to unlock my brain and get the creative waters flowing again.

Recently I found a really amazing tip that got me so much more excited than I’ve ever been about a writing exercise. It’s no surprise that it came from the masterful Laini Taylor, a writer whose work I’ve admired for quite a while now. Anyway, Laini’s idea was to keep a notebook of ideas.

Now, on the surface, this doesn’t sound very earth-shattering. Plenty of people (me included) already keep notebooks. But what made Laini’s idea particularly brilliant was that she suggested setting aside daydreaming time to fill this notebook full of little bits and pieces of ideas–phrases that get you excited, imagery that sets your mind skittering along the plot bunny trail. Imagine little silverfish darting around, their bodies catching glimmers of sunlight. That’s how it should be; not pages and pages of details, but just a few words to capture the essence of what you’re excited about.

I tried it for about ten minutes and came up with a page and a half of ideas! It was the most amazing feeling, a tidal rush of excitement and creative energy. Needless to say, it gave me a whole field of fantastic imagery to play in for my current book. Check out the picture; you’ll see some of what I scribbled.

I imagine this could work not just for novelists, but also for artists, musicians, and poets of all kinds. I hope you’ll try it and let me know how it works for you!