Do you keep a writing ideas notebook?

So you finally find a stretch of uninterrupted time to write…and when you sit down, you draw a blank. Has that ever happened to you? This simple idea—keeping a notebook of self-generated writing prompts—will keep your ideas flowing.

I share a lot of writing prompts on the blog and in my annual course, and I’ve even written about how you can generate your own writing prompts. But I understand how—somehow!!—it never seems like a writing prompt is at the ready when you need it, right?

There’s an incredibly simple solution: Keep an ideas notebook. Don’t be fussy! Jot down a note the moment an idea bubbles to the surface on whatever you have handy—a napkin, a Post-it, the back of a receipt—then tape or staple these into your notebook. (Pick up a cheap lined notebook kids use for school so it doesn’t feel too precious to approach in this haphazard way!)

What kind of ideas am I talking about, you’re wondering? Anything that may jumpstart your memories or get your pen moving. Here are some real-world examples from my own life:

• As I run errands, I hear a song from my childhood on the car radio. I am flooded with memories and emotions. At a stop light, I snap a picture of the song name on the dashboard with my phone. That alone will be prompt enough to get me writing when I’m in the mood.

• Watching a movie with my family, a character’s reaction or words give me a strong sense of deja vu. Why? With no time to consider it, I text myself a short phrase to remind me of this feeling. Maybe one day it will be worth writing about (maybe I’ll even rewatch the movie to bring me back emotionally).

• I wake up from a dream and in that half-awake state I reach for the notebook I leave on my night stand to scribble a few words so I don’t forget. (Never—not once, and I’ve tried many, many times—have I merely told myself in that moment to remember the dream….and then actually remembered it later.) Dreams can provoke some surprising writing!

• Here’s a common scenario for me: Listening to a podcast, I hear something that resonates and feels like it was drawn from my own life. I grab a piece of paper and jot down the time stamp and episode name. Nothing else is needed, but a word or two about the theme of the conversation may be helpful. When I’m staring down a blank page, I can listen in to that select part of the conversation to get my creative juices stirring again.

Other things you might find yourself taping into that ideas notebook? Fortune cookie slips. Magazine articles. Quotes from friends. Random handwritten memories. People you want to call (trust me, sometimes the best way into a story of your own is to ask someone else for their version). A letter from a friend. A page from a datebook. 

You get the idea, yes? 

For me, the messier this ideas notebook is, the more inviting I find it! So what if pieces of paper stick out the sides, or if the notebook bulges unevenly?! That just means there are treasures awaiting—self-made prompts you know will move you, because you felt the stirrings already. 

How about this one?

If your kid’s half-used, spiral-bound notebook isn’t up to par (it’s what I used all last year, haha!), check out this one I’ve designed just for you.