Author Kristine McCord gave one of my favorite Christmas
gifts to me. She handed me my first ever Moleskine lined notebook. “Trust me.
Just try it,” she said. “The more you use it, the more you’ll love it. The feel
of it changes with use.”
I took her word for it, but I was skeptical.
She was so right. I loved carrying it around. No other
notebook would do.
And it was perfect timing, because Lisa Phillips had just
challenged me to free write, by hand, any thoughts I had on a scene right
before getting on the computer. I thought this was a waste of time. I could
just type out the scene as I thought of it and edit later. “Trust me,” she
said. “Just try it.”
Initially I hated it, but my daily word count soared. Now, I
can’t write without jotting down some notes first.
There was just one problem. When I wanted to find something,
my notebook was a giant mess of notes. If I tried to make my notes neater,
though, it hindered my creativity. When I daydream, my notes resemble my
thoughts, which both look like scattered clouds.
Another author friend, Becky Avella, told me to come over
because she couldn’t wait to show me how to bullet journal. I went over and
learned the process of indexing my daily to-do lists as well as anything else
my heart desired for daily living like: goals, workout diary, prayer journal,
etc. We even added pretty stickers and pictures to our notebooks—Becky said,
“Trust me. Just try it.”
I used one of my trusty Moleskine notebooks and my new favorite
pen (Ink Joy gel pen by Papermate. My husband said to trust him and just try it.)
I enjoyed dumping everything that was on my mind into my
handy-dandy notebook so much that I wondered if the system could be used for
fiction writing.
Since I started my own bullet journal for my work-in-progress,
I’ve found that this isn’t such a novel idea. (Hehe. Didn’t mean to do that,
but now I’ve cracked myself up.)
Other writers have been using bullet journals with great
success, but every one of them looks completely different. Essentially, you
pick and choose what to keep in your notebook based on what works for you.
I still consider myself a “pantser” because I don’t have
everything figured out when I start writing a book. I do have to know my characters
like the back of my hand as well as research the careers and problems they
might encounter. Here’s what my bullet journal index looks like:
I have places for pretty pictures of my setting and
characters, plus notes, research, and a page set aside to free-write each scene
right before I’m ready to write it. I even have a spot to jot down future
revisions so it doesn’t slow down the pace of my first draft. It’s helped me so
much.
Bottom line: If you have trustworthy friends, listen to them
and try new writing techniques once in a while. Who knows? It might help your
word count.
Trust me. Just try it.
Countdown http://a.co/2uOLKPc
BORROWED TIME
When Rachel Cooper witnesses the abduction of her neighbor's
young twin sons, she springs into action to save them. But now the thwarted
kidnappers are after her…and her only hope of survival is relying on their
widowed single father, James McGuire. A weapon has been planted on a satellite
James's company is ready to launch, and as the systems specialist, it's his job
to stop it. But someone is set on keeping James from preventing the scheduled
takeoff—and they'll use anyone close to him as leverage. Now he must find a way
to protect his boys and the woman he's beginning to fall for…before the final countdown
can even start.
Heather Woodhaven earned her pilot's license, rode a hot air
balloon over the safari lands of Kenya, assisted an engineer with a medical
laser in a Haitian mission, parasailed over Caribbean seas, lived through an
accidental detour onto a black diamond ski trail in the Aspens and snorkeled
among sting rays before becoming a mother of three and wife of one. Now Heather
spends her days celebrating laughter, adding to her impressive list of
embarrassing moments, and raising a family of aspiring comedians who perform
nightly at her table. She channels her love for adventure into writing
characters who find themselves in extraordinary circumstances--whether running
for their lives or battling the insanities of life.
