How do you stay on track?

Discuss writing, including writing tips & tricks, writing philosophy, writer's block, etc. If you have grammar questions, marketing questions, or if you want feedback on a poem or short story you wrote, please use the corresponding forum below.
Featured Topic: How to Get Your Book Published
Forum rules
If you have spelling or grammar questions, please post them in the International Grammar section.

If you want feedback for poetry or short stories you have written, please post the poem or short story in either the Creative Original Works: Short Stories section or the Creative Original Works: Poetry section.

If you have a book that you want reviewed, click here to submit your book for review.
User avatar
moderntimes
Posts: 2249
Joined: 15 Mar 2014, 13:03
Favorite Author: James Joyce
Favorite Book: Ulysses by James Joyce
Currently Reading: Grendel by John Gardner
Bookshelf Size: 0
fav_author_id: 2516

Re: How do you stay on track?

Post by moderntimes »

I also have endless subnotes and side commentary in which I save the spawning of my fevered brain. I don't do online or anything, just jot them quickly into my laptop and save them in a general "ideas" doc on the desktop, and from time to time I separate those ideas into new docs for possible essays or short stories.

But it's all straight to the computer, never physical notebooks. Those get lost and bent and set aside. Long ago I trained myself to get rid of manuscript notes and use the computer. The job I had (engineering consultant for big oil) required everything to be digital. After using a laptop, desktop, or notepad 9 hrs a day, going to pen & pad was archaic. And I'm waaaay glad I got away from paper, too. After all, no matter what I scribbled, I'd eventually have to transcribe it to computer anyway. So why waste time with an interim media? May as well use parchment and quill pen.
"Ineluctable modality of the visible..."
Post Reply

Return to “Writing Discussion”