Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Wanted: A Pensieve

Earlier tonight, Robyn was asking me about a fairy tale that has several major variations. The funny thing is that both of us originally read the same variation, and it isn't the popular one that I've read several times in novel form. I don't own the collection it came from, either. As we were discussing the different variations, I remembered that when I was in college I had a great idea for a sequel to the fairy tale that came from reading a nursery rhyme.

Back then, I had a writing notebook where I played around with ideas, but I have no idea where that notebook is now. I've had and still have quite a few of those notebooks. I'm sure I still have it. Somewhere. But if I spent the amount of time writing that I could spend searching, I'd probably come up with something better than my original notes.

But *sigh* I am still revising TBW.

I need a pensieve. That way, I could just pull shiny new ideas out of my head and store them in it until I'm ready to spin them out.

Or maybe I need to organize my writing notebooks. *gasp* If I put dates or titles on my covers (the ones that still have covers), I might actually be able to find stuff. How do you keep track of your story ideas? Don't tell me you have a pensieve; it'll just make me insanely jealous. ;o)

I won't be around until Saturday. Robyn and I are going camping in the morning with a large group, mostly teenaged girls, and we're not allowed to take electronics. No phones. No computers.

But please, bring on the organizational tips. :o)   

18 comments:

  1. Ah, you're going to camp! I'm so jealous.

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  2. I just have scattered notes, sort of organized into folders (the two-pocket kind kids use in school) for each story idea. Do you have Scrivener? I don't and don't know if it works for organizing pre-writing stuff, but many have given it fabulous ratings for organizing writing itself.

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    1. I don't have Scrivener, but I'm going to try it this summer. Sometime.

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    2. This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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    3. Thanks, Q. I didn't mean to delete your comment. I meant to hit reply, and now I'm not sure how to get it back.

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  3. Ooh, sounds like girls' camp. This probably won't surprise you, but I was never a big girls' camper. I ended up going home early almost every time. (This week is youth conference in our stake, by the way. The kids are doing their every-four-years trek.)

    As for how to keep track of new ideas, I did start writing them down in a Word document a few years ago, but I've never come back to any of the ideas I've written there. (If it's not an idea I have right when I need one, I tend to be less excited about it by the time I get around to it again...)

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    1. This is the first time I've been since I was a teenager.

      And I do get excited about old ideas, though the way I would have written them has probably evolved. I'm just as excited about this idea now as I was when it first came to me. It's a fun story.

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  4. I keep a notebook for story ideas, but since I only write stories for Christmas Eve, it's not very full...

    ;)

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    1. Yes. You write poetry. I don't write down ideas for poems, either. I just write the poems, and sometimes I revise them.

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  5. I have a pensieve or sorts. When I get a story idea, I go to a computer and type up a brief description (one paragraph to several pages, depending on the complexity of the idea). Here is where the pensieve comes in. I have a flash drive with a folder called shorts and another called books, and under each I have a folder called ideas. I back them up to a secure web storage area every now and then, so I have access to my ideas wherever I can touch a computer, not just in the office where the pensieve is kept. So my shiny ideas are always available even if I've forgotten about them. It's not as fancy as what Dumbledore used, but about as effective. When I decide to start working on an idea, I create another folder for a particular story or novel, and then move the idea file over from the ideas folder. No magic involved, but very effective for me.

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  6. I want a pensieve too, but mostly I wish I could apparate. Oh, the time and money we could save with apparation!

    As for storing my ideas, I actually have an "Ideas" folder in my writing file on my computer for each story idea I have. Sometimes they develop into something, and sometimes they just sit there. Sometimes they get combined with other ideas, but I keep a file for each of them. If I'm not near my computer, I put the note in my iphone. Actually, I've captured a lot of ideas that way. An iphone is sort of like a pensieve!

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  7. I don't write, but a pensieve would still be awesome! Maybe it would help me clear my mind of all the clutter?

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    1. Keeping track of two in school AND twin babes would make my head hurt. I don't know how you do it.

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  8. I keep mine organized in folders on my computer, and a tabbed three ring binder, and several journals (which I like to collect) - but I'm still not satisfied. I agree a pensieve would do the trick.

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    1. Hahaha! Yeah. That sounds too much like my own system. ;o)

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