Comments on: The Novel Notebook

By: Suzan Butler

Suzan Butler — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 00:30:25 +0000

One Note is amazing. It’s awesome that all my stuff is portable, since I write a lot in coffee shops and at your house. It does have some Pinterest like qualities since I can past in little tidbits I want or need.

I use about half of Lynn Viehl’s Novel Notebook, mostly after the book’s been written and I’m collecting information while I edit. I also use parts of Jim Butcher’s story skeleton and a couple other little things I ~~stole~~ borrowed from other authors.

I think I may attempt to do a timeline since I always have trouble with that aspect. Time is never my friend. LOL

By: Sidney

Sidney — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:26:34 +0000

In reply to Alexis Morgan. Bins! That's a great idea! I tried this, and I have an awesome thing that hangs on the wall for me to sort stuff in... and I never use it. I've learned that I roam and write. Since I don't just write at home or in my office nook, I need to be more mobile.

By: Alexis Morgan

Alexis Morgan — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 15:15:07 +0000

I keep my stuff in bins that hold hanging folders: character worksheets, diagrams of houses/buildings,pictures I’ve used for inspiration, etc. This has worked well for me, and I have a bin for each series I’ve worked on. The bins allow me the flexibility to stick in things that won’t fit in a notebook. For example, a book on horses that I used a lot when I was working on my fantasy series.

But I agree it’s important to find some system that works for you. I just learned of Lynn Viehl’s notebook a week or so ago and plan to adapt some of the features for my own use.

Great post!

By: Sidney

Sidney — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:40:12 +0000

In reply to Catherine Gayle. Oh yes, it's been one of my greatest life savers! With all the research into the nuts and bolts of tattooing recently, it's made my life much, much easier!

By: Catherine Gayle

Catherine Gayle — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 14:33:07 +0000

I keep EVERYTHING in OneNote. I’ve got a section set up for research, and any time I find a new bit of research that I know I’ll need later, I pop it in. I’ve also got my own system that is similar to The Novel Notebook. I studied a bunch of other authors’ systems, took bits from this one and huge chunks from that one, and incorporated it all into my own working system. When I work on a series, each series has its own Notebook, complete with the series theme and characters and settings…and then individual novels get their own pages within the notebook. I’ve been using this for years now, and I keep having to rearrange how I’ve got it all organized in OneNote to make it make sense as everything I do grows and expands…but I can’t imagine working without it.