How to Put Together a Writer's Notebook in 4 Steps

Happy New Year's Eve!

Today I just wanted to post about putting together a writer's notebook. A writer's notebook is incredibly helpful for those of you who like to stay organized (I'm definitely one of those people, although that doesn't apply to my room). It basically organizes all of your thoughts, ideas, and notes so that whenever you want to go back to them later, you don't have to turn your house upside down searching for a pile of index cards.

Also, if you don't have a writer's notebook yet, now is a great time to start one. That way you can start the new year off with a better way to stay organized.

I put my writer's notebook together earlier this year--and expected it to last until next year. I was wrong. The notebook I had been using contained 300 pages (it was even college ruled!), but just last month I had to buy a new one. I think it lasted only six months or so.

However, it didn't run out because there weren't enough pages: it was because of a lack of organization. Even though I had started out by separating my information into five different sections, I got a little lazy and before I knew it, I was scribbling my ideas on any random page I could find. After a while I noticed that I only had a couple of empty pages, surrounded by pages filled with hastily-written ideas. I had no more room for a five-page synopsis or a freewriting entry.

If only I had stuck to my original plan!

So last month I bought a new notebook and started afresh. This one is much more organized, and there is room for me to write all that I want.

Anyway, in this post I'm going to take you through the process of putting together your writer's notebook. Remember: this notebook is completely customizable, so if you don't like the way I do it, feel free to change it up. 😉


Step 1. Buy the Notebook

Buy a five-subject college ruled notebook. These usually contain 300 pages, which is plenty of room for your ideas, and you can fit a large amount of words on a college ruled page.


Step 2. Buy the Pens

I think I've bought nearly every brand of pen at our local Dollar General and tried them out. Most of them, as you can imagine, were complete garbage, but there are a few that work well.

Pilot pens are the very best that a writer can get, in my opinion--but at $1.25 apiece, they don't exactly fit a tight budget. PaperMate pens are pretty decent, and the InkJoy ones last for awhile. They're cheaper than Pilot pens but they last for a good while. If you're not interested in buying expensive pens and don't mind replacing them often, I suggest BIC Round Stic pens. They're $1 for ten pens, and they last for about a week  for me (I do write a lot, though). I have a couple of emergency packs, but I'm definitely spoiled to my ballpoint pens. 😊


Step 3. Label the Dividers

If you bought a five-subject notebook, it should come with four dividers (the first section doesn't have its own divider) and five total sections. Now it's the time to label the dividers (and here's where you can customize it the way you like). I labelled mine as follows (but you can do yours however you'd like):


Writing Ideas--

The first section in my notebook is devoted to my ideas. In this section I write any idea that I think of, along with notes, character ideas, etc.

Writing Log--

This section is where I keep my writing log (I'll write a post about that pretty soon). My writing log is where I try to track my progress when I get into my writing moods, like how many words I wrote in a day, how my revising is going, etc. I don't write in it every day, but every once in a while I'll add an entry when I feel like I've got a lot done.

Writing Tips--

Here I jot down any good writing tips that seem to help me, like good ways to get rid of writer's block (you can read my post on that here). Any tips that I find on the Internet, read in books, or hear from a fellow writer typically go in that section.

Words/Descriptions--

I write a lot of different words in this section. I love words (the more elegant, the better), so here's where I jot down words that I like, synonyms for a commonly used word, and things like that. I also write down random descriptions here as I think of them.

Freewriting--

This is different from a writing log (I'll be making a post about it shortly). Here is where I try to write whatever I want as often as I can. It helps me feel inspired, and it's a great but simple way to get those words flowing! I had this section in my old writing notebook, but in my new notebook, I've replaced it with a section for blogging ideas. I now have a separate notebook for freewriting.


Step 4. Start Writing

Now that you have all of your sections labelled, what are you waiting for? All that's left to do is start writing.

Congratulations: in four steps, your writing ideas are now organized and you're that much more prepared for the new year!

I hope that this blog post was helpful to you guys. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them! 😊

7 Day Writing Challenge

New year, new you. Who's ready to start a 7 day writing challenge? Writing every day will help you improve, and in my opinion, starting this challenge is a great way to spend January. Everybody has goals for the new year, right? Well, one of my biggest ones is to start trying to write every day, and I think that this challenge is going to help me build a habit of writing more often.

If you want to make a goal of writing more often but haven't started any sort of challenge yet, I strongly advise you to do so! It's so much easier whenever you have fellow writers holding you accountable. I would be so happy to have you join this challenge! 😊

So here's how it's going to work.

I'm going to post a prompt or question every day for a week, and all you have to do is write something in response to that prompt. No word counts, no time limits (unless you just want to set one). Now that doesn't sound so hard, right?

When you've written something, you don't have to share it with anybody, but I'd really love to see what my fellow writers are doing with this challenge. 😉 If you'd like, you can share what you've written in the comments of each daily post, but you certainly don't have to.

I'm going to post the first day on January 1st, of course. I'm really excited for this challenge, and I'd love to know who else is on board with me! 😊

25 Ways to Conquer Your Writer's Block

Do you have writer's block? Are you stuck on a certain scene? Or are you unsure of what you should write next? Are you desperate for some inspiration? All of this is very common for all writers--especially me!--so don't be alarmed. I tried to put together a list of things that help me get "unstuck", if you will, so that I can come back to them later when I need some inspiration.

Hopefully this will help any of you fellow writers who are experiencing the dreaded writer's block.

1.) Set a Goal

Sometimes it helps to tell yourself, "I have to get 'x' amount of words written in 'x' amount of time." That way you'll feel some pressure and hopefully be motivated by that. A good goal to start out with that isn't too difficult to achieve but still gets your fingers typing is 1000 words in 30 minutes. If this is too easy or too difficult for you, feel free to adjust it accordingly.

2.) Just Write

If you're stuck on a particular scene, don't know what to write next, or just want to get your words flowing, there is a solution. Open a new document or grab some paper and write. I know it sounds obvious, but I can't tell you how many times I've just wanted to write while being stuck on a specific part of my current book. It really does help to just write--write anything you want. Write down your thoughts, a list of quotes from your favorite book, the lyrics to your favorite song, what you want for Christmas. . . anything that gets your creative juices flowing.

3.) Push Past the Pain

Oftentimes our blocks are caused by not wanting to write a certain scene. You feel me, right? If it's a bad block and you can't seem to get past it, no matter how hard you try, then it's all right to take a break and write something else. But sometimes it's just laziness. Sometimes when I find myself faced with a scene that needs a lot of careful planning or one that doesn't involve as much action, I just want to close my laptop and go do something else. This, however, is pretty much the worst thing you can do. Because the next time you're in the mood for writing, you'll most likely take one look at the "boring" scene that you couldn't get past in your last writing session, and you'll think, "Oh. . . I'll do this some other time."

(And usually you won't.)

The best thing that you can do is just write that scene. It's one thing if your head is empty and you just want to bang it on the wall; now that's when it's perfectly okay to take a break. But if you know that you're putting off that scene out of laziness, you need to write it! Push past the pain, the I-don't-want-to-do-this, and just get it done.

You'll hate me now but thank me later.

4.) Go Places

When I feel stuck, staring at my bedroom wall doesn't inspire me, and neither will the place where you do most of your writing. Now I'm not talking about anything extravagant, like traveling to another country, although that certainly wouldn't hurt. I mean take your writing and go anywhere: the grocery store, the post office, a coffee shop. You'll see different things there and you'll see some people there, too. You might even find yourself writing a character that looks like your waitress, or weaving a simple conversation you overheard into your dialogue.

5.) Organize Your Room

If you don't have the chance to change up your scenery, it might do you some good to organize your room. Rearrange the books on your shelf; move some furniture around; display a collection on your nightstand. I'm not really sure why, but this really inspires me to get writing.

6.) Clear Your Mind

Anxiety is mainly what stops me from writing. If I'm worrying about something or there's a lot of noise going on in the house, I won't get far with my writing. It helps me to find somewhere quiet where I know I won't be disturbed, then pray, write down my thoughts, and try to clear my mind.

7.) Go for a Walk

As I said before, a change of scenery is nice, whether you decide to take your writing with you or not. Sometimes when I need a break from my writing I take a walk in the woods, and I spend that time taking in my surroundings--just searching for inspiration, I guess. The fresh air truly does do you some good, though--give it a try.

8.) Be Alone

Even if the house is completely quiet, or if I have earbuds in, sometimes I just can't focus knowing that there are other people in the house. Strange, isn't it? I just have to be completely focused when I write. I think I get the most writing done either late at night, or when I'm alone in the house. So grab your computer, crank up your music (if necessary, buy a Bluetooth speaker), and get it done.

9.) Write Every Day

If you don't necessarily have writer's block and just want to feel more inspired, there's a solution. Keep a journal and try to write in it every day. Write your hopes, dreams, fears, aspirations, ideas, observations. . . you name it. If it's on your mind, write it in your journal. I've heard a lot of people say that writing every day makes you a better writer. I try to write in my journal every day (but I don't always get around to it), and although I'm not sure that I see a huge difference, I really enjoy it. It helps me feel more inspired.

10.) Stay Up Late

This is probably a terrible thing to encourage other writers to do, but I get so much more writing done at night. Everything is quiet and you have hours to think, write, listen to music. . . whatever gets you inspired. I typically stay up until about 2 am and wake up around 11 am. Like I said, it's a terrible habit, and I'm not even sure if it works for everyone, but for me night is the best time to write.

11.) Read Old Feedback

I like to write down the feedback that people give me so that I can reread it later. It's nice to receive compliments and read over them whenever you feel like your writing isn't good enough, but I actually prefer criticism. When somebody reads my book and says something like, "Oh, it's great, I love it!", I always say, "Thank you, but do you have any criticism?" People's honest opinion on your writing is most important of all, in my opinion. If you've received constructive criticism, you should read it again and really try to apply it to your writing. It might get you inspired to change what you don't like about it.

12.) Call a Friend

I'm one of those people who loves stories. I must admit that when a friend tells me a story about something stupid they did as a child, or about something their sibling did to embarrass them one time, or about something interesting they did on summer vacation last year, etc., I get excited. I keep all of those stories in my memory and, if they're memorable enough, I'll find some way to tie them into my writing. Don't judge me.

Anyway, consider calling an old friend the next time you have writer's block. You'll be able to catch up with them, and chances are, they'll tell you a story or two that you might be able to use in your writing. ;)

13.) Play Some Videogames

This might seem unproductive, and you've probably read quite a few articles that say playing videogames kills your brain cells or something. Maybe that's true, but when I need a quick break, it kind of helps me relax for a few minutes. Just make sure the games you're playing aren't too engrossing (then you wouldn't get anything done) and aren't distracting enough to give you a headache.

14.) Drink Caffeine

Caffeine gives most people energy (I, unfortunately, am not one of them). If you need a quick burst of energy just grab some coffee, and you should be good to go. Sadly, caffeine doesn't give me energy or keep me up longer. . . however, if I drink a cup of coffee when I'm stuck, it somehow gets me past the block. So I don't feel any more energetic, but I guess it gets me un-stuck.

15.) Music, Music, Music

I listen to music almost every time I write, but for those of you who write in silence, try conquering your writer's block with some music. I enjoy a very broad variety of music: from sad breakup songs and slow, soft soundtracks to Christian hip-hop and alternative music. It really all depends on what mood I'm in.

If you're like me and can barely function without music, I highly recommend creating playlists for your main characters (and for specific scenes, too, if you want).

16.) Research

If you're stuck on a novel or other large project, sometimes it can be helpful to do some research on a small part of your writing you haven't quite got to yet. It can be anything from "What do baby dragons eat?" to "Famous naval battles". And who knows, you might even find some good ideas along the way.

17.) Ask for Criticism

Sometimes the best thing you can do when you're either unsure of where to go next or stuck in the revising stage is to ask for a criticism. Find the most honest person you know, ask them to criticize your writing, and keep an open mind. Oh, and don't be offended.

18.) Re-Evaluate Your Scene

Being stuck on a specific scene can mean many different things. Of course, none of us want to write that one scene that's boring to write but important to the reader to know. Usually the scene feels "boring" because of a lack of action, which is normal, but have you asked yourself if you really need that scene? I can't tell you how many times I've dropped an info dump, over-described something, or added an unnecessary scene just to raise my word count. Ask yourself what you can do to make this scene more interesting, and ask yourself what would happen if you omitted the scene altogether.

19.) Read

Reading makes you a better writer--it's true! Besides, who hasn't been inspired by something they read at one point or another? I should also mention that it's a great idea to read the dictionary. It's a great way to increase your vocabulary, find stronger words than the ones you're using now, and find the meaning of those words that you think you know.

20.) Start a Blog

Unless you have Blogger's block, it's a great idea to start a blog when you need a break from your writing. You can express yourself, be creative, talk about something you're passionate about, and still be writing in some way or another.

21.) Find Other Writers

It's always nice to have a writing buddy who you can share ideas with, receive criticism from, and just be understood by. However, it's so difficult to find one, so maybe you should consider joining a writers' group. Writing is hard, especially when you have to do it all alone.

22.) Try Your Hand at Drawing

If you have a steady hand and some art supplies, there's no reason why you shouldn't try to draw. Maybe if you're talented enough you can design your own book covers.

23.) Revise

While you're stuck on where to go next, you can make the most of the time you spend staring at a screen and start revising. Chances are, there are plenty of small mistakes you missed, and it can't hurt to start fixing them now.

24.) Compare Now With Then

One of the best things you can do when you feel like your writing isn't good enough is to compare it with what you wrote when you were younger or had less experience. There's probably a very noticeable difference, right? So take pride in that! Tell yourself that you are improving every day.

25.) Don't Force It

Remember, if you can't seem to get past your writer's block no matter what you do, just take a break. Writing is flat and boring if you try to force it.

I hope that this list has helped you defeat your writer's block :) This list is pretty small, so if any of you have some good tips that help you when you're stuck, feel free to share them below!

Ready for the New Year?

Are you guys ready for the new year? Rather, the new decade. For me it already feels like 2020, and I'm looking forward to it. 😃 I have some writing goals for this coming year, too. I'm planning on being more organized, writing every day, and keeping up with my freewriting journal. Do you have any writing goals for 2020? Now is a pretty good time to start preparing them.

I want January to be a month of productivity and success. I definitely want to reach a word count of 50,000 in my second novel, Moss the Archer. Also, I want to participate in a 7 day writing challenge (which I will be posting about in a few days), which will hopefully keep me motivated and inspired all throughout January.

Who else is participating in a 7 (or 30) day writing challenge? And what are your writing goals for the new year? Feel free to share them in the comments below.