10 Ideas for Your Writer’s Notebook

The Writer’s Notebook

If you’ve read any books on craft, you’ve probably heard of the elusive “writer’s notebook” and that you should be keeping one.  

This can sound mysterious at first, especially if you’re one who types their manuscripts.  I am chronically terrible at completing notebooks, and yet I filled this one in a year despite my novels living in Scrivener.

Keep reading to get a glimpse of what my writer’s notebook holds.

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My Notebook

My notebookis a Denik layflat, particularly the Emerald Floral design.  It retails for $9.99, comes in lined or blank, has a binding that allows it to lay flat when you’re writing in it, and the paper is a dream that holds up to my pens and highlighters.

I often fold it in half and write on it that way, which isn’t a feature in typical bullet journals with a stiff bindning.  

1. Nonfiction Notes

I am a forever fan of K.M. Weiland’s books on novel structure.  She’s brilliant, and her website is a fantastic writing resource.

Whenever I read a book on craft like Structuring Your Novel, I keep the reference-worthy notes in my writer’s notebook.  Then when I’m working on a piece on my computer, the notebook rests right next to me for easy access.

2. Rereading Notes

When I reread the last draft of my novel before rewriting, my writer’s notebook was the perfect place for notes.  The pages gave me the formatting freedom that can’t be replicated by typing in any computer program.  

I’m able to connect multiple ideas, use unique signifiers, and utilize margin space in a way that word processors limit.  

I also find that working in an analog way that’s free from distracting red lines is the most conductive.

3. Genre Notes and Competition Details

I was recently involved in a writing competition where I had to write a fairytale.  I kept all my notes on the genre itself in my writer’s notebook, and then highlighted the information most useful to my project.

4. Brainstorming

This is the brainstorming for the short story I described in the previous genre notes examples.  You can read it here!  But all the planning began in my writer’s notebook.  

5. Novel Outlining

Novel outlining is another activity I prefer to put in a writer’s notebook instead of a word processor when I first begin.  There’s more freedom on the page, and I get out my rough ideas on paper before I place them neatly in Scrivener.

The format here is once again K.M. Weiland’s novel structure. 

6. Family Trees

One project of mine had some twisty family trees with lots of children.  I tried a few online programs, but it was much faster to just jot down the names and lines myself.  If you’re losing track of relations and generations, this page is an excellent asset to your writer’s notebook.

7. Brainstorming Lists

This name list is a perfect example of the brainstorming better suited for a notebook than a word processor. 

One of my tasks was renaming characters after I had too many J-names as an earlier draft.  As you can see, chaos ensued.

8. Writing Exercises

This particular exercise was to name characters I liked, list traits about them, and highlight ones that continually popped up in my list.  The internet is full of various writing exercises that can help you discover more about yourself as a reader and writer.

9. Reference Sheets – Enneagram and MBTI

I adore both the Enneagram and MBTI personality tests, particularly for writing.  I keep both reference sheets and in-depth notes for the types of my main characters.  For example, when discovering more about this particular character, I took an MBTI test “for” him, recorded his percentages for the results, and then wrote down information pertinent to him.

I also chose to take notes on romantic relationships between ENFPs and ISTJs, as those are the types for the two characters featured in one of my novels.

10. Decisions

I often struggle making the hard decisions for my novel and/or characters.  Writing out pros, cons, and results to the possibiilities of each choice helps me choose a path.  It also helps me anticipate further problems that come from unexpected changes.

How do you use your writing notebook?  Leave a comment below or email me through the “contact” page on this website.