WRITER'S BLOCK: KEEP A NOTEBOOK

I guess you could say that the suggestion to keep a notebook is  a writing tip.  The notebook can serve as a place for random thoughts, observations, and writings.  It can also serve as an ongoing personal journal.

The goal of the notebook is to keep you, the writer or wannabe writer, in the writing game.  Even a baseball player who remains on the bench will practice in preparation for being on the field in a real game.  If you're not sure you have anything to write, you're building the data base and strengthening your muscles by keeping a writing notebook.

Clearly, a notebook is not sufficient for the writer who has to meet deadlines.  Especially for those writers, it's important to "stay fresh."  Keeping a notebook is a way to achieve this.

As part of keeping a notebook, feel free to put in pictures and other images that spark your writing spirit.  Even headlines, articles, symbols, can find their way into your notebook.

The key is to keep your mind active.

Some writers prefer to keep their journal (that's where you make sure to do your freewriting) separate from their notebook, even if their journal is in a notebook.  Each writer needs to find their style.  But, each writer needs to begin if they haven't already with at least one notebook.

So, why not go for it?

By the way, keeping a notebook makes it more difficult to discard writings you don't like.  And, this IS a good thing (see blog of 4/20).