Noted

I think it’s important to take notes for works of fiction. Whether jotting down ideas for new stories or tweaks to existing stories, notes increase the chance of retaining flashes of brilliance.

Keep something with you at all times that you can use to record notes. Maybe it’s a paper notebook, but with technology advances, you might use a laptop, PDA or cell phone. Sometimes I email myself reminders if I don’t have a scratchpad within reach.

Try to limit your notes to the barest of essentials for recalling the ideas. This isn’t the same as creating a storyboard or a plotline. These are simply references to something greater in your brain. It might be something like: “Use mace, not sword” to indicate a character’s weapon or “Send Joe with Sue to cave.” My notes tend to look like incoherent thoughts, but that’s okay as long as my stories don’t.

If you’ve ever found yourself trying to recall a good idea that you had earlier and just can’t draw it back out, you can understand the importance of putting such hooks in place. Relying on memory alone isn’t completely reliable.