Tuesday Writing Tip # 3: Write Everything Down

All writers know the importance of keeping a notebook and pen (or at least a pen and a napkin!) handy all the time. And if they don't know that, they'll learn it soon enough. But what types of things is the notebook for?

Everything!

Maybe an unusual name that you hear on the news intrigues you. That would be a great character name! you think to yourself. Write it down! You never know when you will get to use that awesome name in a story. But if you don't write it down, there's a good chance it will feel neglected and sneak away from its spot in your brain, leaving you thinking Gosh, I wish I could remember that great name I thought of the other day!

Jot down simple plot ideas that occur to you out of nowhere. A really poetic line that comes to you as you're walking to your car. A random scene in a fantasy story. Questions you think of (or that someone asks you) that could possibly lead to stories. And don't forget about funny or odd things that occur around you. Like that hilarious thing your son, daughter, or some other kid said or did the other day.

So much that happens around us is food for our writer brain. So be like a squirrel and store up all those goodies to use when the time comes.

P.S. This is good advice for non-writers too, especially mothers. You know this if you've ever thought something like: What did he say the other day that made me laugh so hard?