Turning Your Journal Into An Idea Bank

A few magazines refer to their written idea sources in assigning articles to reliable, experienced writers, or even allow those writers to peruse them for topics to write about.

And for awhile, I kept an idea book that was similar to a writer's journal. But there was a problem. If I needed an idea, I had to virtually read every entry before locating the one I wanted and needed. However, doing this so frequently proved to be a waste of time and energy. But after tweaking it a bit, I found a way to make it more efficient and profitable for me.

I used a looseleaf cover and paper, organizing my journal into a few specific categories of interest, such as "pet health." There, I would include entries that directly pertained to that topic. For example, I would include observations tracking my progress in helping my cat recover from conjunctivities (pink eye), from following the vet's advice to developing my own strategies for administering medicine with an eye dropper. I would also include a few notes on what I probably should have done, as well as mistakes I made during that time. Bits of information from relevant, reliable websites and books would be included.

Organizing my observations and notes this way enabled me to quickly locate a given topic and review its entries. Rereading those entries not only refreshes my mind, but provides some material from which to manipulate and gain additional insights for possible articles and books.

In effect, I was writing entries in a writer's journal, but in a more organized manner. No more endless searches and rereading entries for me!

You can try this yourself, using a separate hardcover, stitched notebook for each topic of interest. This strategy is especially effective if your chosen topic or topics are rather involved, motivating you to write detailed entries. Otherwise, a looseleaf notebook is fine. You can change the order of topics from three to two and organize their contents better.

Another suggestion is dating each entry, as well as assigning a title to it. Doing this will save time. Instead of reading all of the entries under a given category, all you'll need to do is read a few selected ones. Dating entries is also useful for organizing purposes, especially if you want to track your progress in moving from idea trigger to a fully developed piece.

And finally, wait until you have a month to several months' worth of entries under various topics of interest. Your subconscious will be at work in the meantime and you will be in for a pleasant surprise when you refer to your idea book again. Remember to keep making entry "deposits!" And have fun.

Happy idea mining!

Dorothy Zjawin's website, http://www.profitable-pen.com focuses on mining ideas from writer's journals for articles and books.

---

Be Your Own Literary Agent and Get Published

So you're one of 20 million Americans who want to... Read More

Becoming A Successful Author: The Price!

So you want to be a successful author? You want... Read More

Technical Writing for the Terrified

IntroductionSometimes it may be beyond a companies or individuals budget... Read More

Self-Examination

Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations,... Read More

Passionate About Writing?

I'm a writing fool! 2 book proposals, 1 user's guide,... Read More

Ten Ways to Get Cheap (and Free) Magazine Samples

1 - Join a reading or writing group. Ask members... Read More

Proof Positive: the importance of proofreading

Last week I was having a quick browse on eBay... Read More

3 Quick and Easy Ways to Generate Story Ideas

There are many ways you can generate ideas you can... Read More

Rules for Getting the Story Down

1. Write it fast, fix it later.2. Commit to writing... Read More

Local Knowledge: Background and Historical Setting in Novels

You're writing a story set in your local city, but... Read More

Got an Idea? Turn it into a Novel in Thirty Days or Less!

People can't believe I did it, but I did. I... Read More

Four Act Stories and Beyond

There are various forms of structure, including frameworks, work processes... Read More

Creative Writing Tips - Does The Name You Chose Suit Your Character?

How do you choose a name? Do you put down... Read More

Tell the World About You

You have a new website, or a new business, or... Read More

Balance Your Life

Balance your life ... Read More

Learning How To Write

As a student of Spanish, my goal was to think... Read More

How To Identify Your Own Style Of Writing

This article is to help identify which style, technique or... Read More

Writing About Writing

What am I going to write about?Which topic is the... Read More

The Self-indulgent Writier

A writer can never be self indulgent whether writing fiction,... Read More

Becoming the Total Package

Being a great writer is no longer enough if you... Read More

6 Ways to Jump-Start Your Writing Day

1. PLAY A GAME LIKE SOLITAIRE....for half an hour or... Read More

New Authors Publishing Options

All your publishing options are as follows:--Conventional publishing--Vanity or subsidy... Read More

Masquerading As Novel ~ Can Author?s Work Convey Important Perceptions?

While novels do not usually attempt to convey concepts about... Read More

Friendly Critiques

When a writer is working on their next literary masterpiece... Read More

The Struggle

Sometime one must coax the words out.Each day is a... Read More

A Single Technique

Writing is hard work, and like all hard work, one... Read More

How To Write Your Way To A Fortune

We've all seen those ads that grab our attention and... Read More

8 Quick Tips on Creating Vivid, Memorable Characters

These 8 tips on using characters in your stories will... Read More

Mama Dont Allow No Fighting in Your Writing

When you sit down to write a steamy romance, a... Read More

Going On A Word Diet

There are three ways to write a first draft. One... Read More

Money Trails for Writers

I'm willing to bet that quite a number of you... Read More

Create the Writing Life You Want

Ah, writing. For those of us who love to play... Read More

The Opportunities As A Freelance Proofreader in the UK

A UK based freelance proofreader should be able to provide... Read More