My mind comes up with so much stuff, and I can't always keep up with it. It likes to drive around in the car -- well, just to be clear, *I* am the one doing the driving. . . Anyway, my brain seems to be like a little kid looking at everything outside, jumping up and down with unbridled excitement, telling me what each treasure could be used for.
"See that? That house could be where the heroine lives. Oh, look at that dog. I wonder why he looks tired. Maybe . . .Wow. Those flowers are HUGE."
It's fun, and a little exhausting, mainly because I can't keep track of all of it. You know how a clothes dryer has a lint trap? I need that for all the ideas that have sprouted during a short drive around the neighborhood. It would be great if I could come home, slide the "idea trap" out the side of my head, stick it into the USB port on the laptop, and then download all the good stuff I've collected.
Of course, there's always the fear that I'd drop the thing in my coffee cup.
Right now I'm trying to remember all the brilliant things that popped into my head while I was driving around on my day off, and all I can recollect is that I need to go buy a lemon and some milk, so I can make this rhubarb cake. I bought the rhubarb at the farmstand, but I forgot the other things, and it was probably because I was wondering whether I should open this novella with the hero's point-of-view, or maybe it would be better with the heroine, and is it long enough to be a novella, or should I call it a short story. . .
When I'm at my job, I constantly jot things down on sticky notes. It can be tidbits my brain is trying to get me to remember the next time I'm sitting in front of the laptop looking at the WIP, or sometimes it will be ideas for a blog post.
I'm always finding these crumpled yellow papers in my pocket or my purse, but half the time I don't know what I meant when I wrote something down. It obviously made sense when I rushed to grab pen and paper to record it.
For instance, I have a sticky note with "Jason" written on it. There's no phone number included (alas) so I can assume this note is meant for writing purposes. I still have no idea what it means. Is it a new story idea? Is it a character name? Is there any end to the possibilities?
It's like a constant mental scavenger hunt around here, deciphering my scratches and scribbles, trying to follow the clues they provide. On the other hand, I'm afraid to throw any of these pearls of wisdom away. What if my brain finally gives me the cipher I need to crack the code. . .only now it's residing in the bottom of the recycle barrel?
I think it's time to build a bigger lint trap.
LOL, I know what you mean! Have you tried a voice recorder for the car? And then when you get home, you can input them and your stickies into something like Scrivener? See my post today about how I use it to organize writing tips, but you could easily have a project called Ideas and then organize these puppies that way...
Posted by: Angela Quarles | August 22, 2012 at 10:11 AM
This cracked me up. LOL I can clearly imagine downloading the "idea trap" and I want one of those!
But I think I have a superstition about devices to record my ideas and somehow think they would run the other way or hide like skittish wildlife if they get any inkling of an attempt to capture proof of their existence.
It's kind of cool to think those cryptic post-it note messages are a glimpse (and a gift) of what I couldn't have seen even with the most high-tech device. Or at least I like this idea better than thinking I'm just losing my memory! LOL
Posted by: Melissa | August 22, 2012 at 11:50 AM
I was going to suggest a voice recorder, but Angela beat me to it. I also carry a pen and pad in my purse so I can jot down ideas. Of course I usually don't have my purse with me when the ideas occur, so it's not much help.
Posted by: Kate Warren | August 22, 2012 at 03:58 PM
Angela, I haven't tried a voice recorder -- I think it's because it makes me self-conscious when I hear myself talk like that, so it stops the flow of ideas. LOL I'm intrigued with Scrivener, and I've also been intrigued with OneNote, but haven't tried either one of them. Right now I have a mass quantity of Word docs and spiral bound notebooks and an Excel spreadsheet for each WIP. I think I need a little more streamlining and organization though. :)
Posted by: Donna Cummings | August 22, 2012 at 09:28 PM
Melissa, wouldn't it be awesome? I could really let my brain loose if I knew I didn't have to keep track of anything because the "idea trap" was going to have all of it for me. The worst part about all these sticky notes is that at some point I just *know* I had something brilliant and now it just seems lame. LOL I want that brilliance back!
Posted by: Donna Cummings | August 22, 2012 at 09:33 PM
Kate, I always have paper and pen with me too. I write on receipts and envelopes and anything that resembles paper in my purse. LOL I panic if I don't have something to write on.
In fact, yesterday when I decided I wasn't going to write -- I was just going to go run a couple errands -- I STILL took a notebook with me. LOL And then I bought 5 brand new notebooks, because they were on sale for back-to-school, and I LOVE my notebooks!
Posted by: Donna Cummings | August 22, 2012 at 09:35 PM
I loved this post! I got such a chuckle out of it and was constantly nodding thinking "yep, yep, that's me too," LOL!
I've tried everything. I couldn't get the hang of the voice recorder, especially during play back, the scraps of paper became elusive birds and my memory trap was constantly leaking :) I tried small tablets too, but they got lost.
Now I carry a steno/composition book everywhere. There are still sticky notes jutting out of the side for pages I want marked, colored flags to scream "this one is important" but mainly it's page upon page of ramblings. And it actually works for me.
I just stocked up on a bunch of notebooks too, Donna. I love those back-to-school sales!
Posted by: Mae Clair | August 23, 2012 at 08:17 AM
I can sympathise with all of this!
I think maybe a notebook computer with a handy program for filing and classifying thoughts and comments might help.
The real killer is dreaming though. Many is the time that I have dreamed that I have the solution to a particularly knotty physics problem. Then on awakening I just can't remember vital details.
Maybe the creator is saying that there is no free lunch and I have to solve it on my own! LOL
Though if people can sleep walk and talk in their sleep, maybe they can write in their sleep. That's it. Leave a pen and pad of paper on your bedside table and get dreaming!
Donna, I'll bet that you have some beautiful dreams well worth recording! *smile*
Posted by: Quantum | August 23, 2012 at 01:04 PM
Mae, it's always better when someone else does the same thing! I think the notebooks are the best thing for me, since there's more room to carry all my thoughts. It's a 19th century version of my Idea Trap. LOL I just need to be better about transferring the info to the laptop!
Posted by: Donna Cummings | August 24, 2012 at 08:39 AM
Q, you're so right about dreaming -- it's such a tease when our brains do that! Those details are just a big blur once our eyes are open again. Grrr. I should just have pens and paper taped to every surface in the house, so that they're ready to go when my brain kicks in. LOL Because some of my best dreams are the daydream variety. :)
Posted by: Donna Cummings | August 24, 2012 at 08:41 AM