First of all, I have no idea why this photo of my journal (AKA my secret weapon) turned out so *green.* I promise I wasn’t in an alien space bar or anything, I was just at Starbucks (which, forgive me, was the only coffee shop close to Penn as I waited for my train yesterday. Not that I drink coffee. Or beer at 2pm. That’s tea, people, for some girl named Melony).
So, back to the secret weapon!
I tend to write quickly. As in, when I’ve opened my laptop and launched Word, my fingers take off, and heaven help me if I don’t have a distinct plan for where they’re going, because my fingers don’t stop for anyone. They write. Fast.
Because of my tendency to vomit words (and my OCDish desire for order), I don’t start writing unless I have a plan. Please note, there is one exception to this rule: the beginning of a project. At the beginning, I let my fingers fly. I let them show ME what we’re going to be writing about. But as soon as I get an inkling of the story unfolding before me, I step back and plan.
Which means writing in my journal.
And honestly, I shouldn’t say journal as though there’s only one singular receptacle for my thoughts–there are several. I keep a separate journal for each novel-length project, as well as a spare “ideas” journal to keep all of the pesky, shiny new ideas away from my WIPs.
What do I write in the journal?
Well, this is where we get to the secret weapon bit. When I’m writing in Word, or on a printed draft, or even on a post-it note, I feel a little precious about the words I use. I second-guess them. I try to write only the very best ones. And that keeps me from thinking. But in my journals, I write everything. I mean EVERYTHING. I spell everything wrong, I cross stuff out, I blast through paper like it’s my mission in life to use every page up.
How does this help my writing?
Say, for example, I’m trying to build a backstory for a secondary character. I’ll doodle that person’s name (or a question mark if I don’t know it yet) at the top of a page and write: who is Mr. BananaPants? Where does he live? What does he look like? And so on and so on, until I strike upon a question that has an obvious answer, like: what does Mr. BananaPants eat? Well, anything but fruit salad, obviously. His mom caught him gobbling fruit salad once when he was five years old, and she scared him to death when she said he might be eating his own cousin.
And there you have it: the journal fills up, and the answers fill in, partly because I’m making myself focus, but mainly because I’m giving myself the opportunity to think without consequence–to throw words at the page haphazardly and in great abundance, with no worries about where they will end up. I think it’s that very sense of freedom that leads the words to the right place as I journal.
Once the journal is full, the writing begins in earnest, and a draft emerges, only to be journaled and revised again and again until, finally, it’s done. Without my journals, I’m absolutely certain my path to a solid draft would be a much longer and winding road, and though the end result might be similar, the journey would be a lot less fun.
What about you? Do you keep a writing journal, too? I’d love to hear your ideas about journals in the comments.
I did use a journal for notes in my current MS, but I also used the same journal to take notes from writing resource books and my writing group chapter meetings. I think I need a separate book for general writing notes and story notes. It's really helpful to brainstorm ideas in longhand; things I might be too timid to type into my story, even as an extra file in Scrivener. I used to write a personal diary/journal all through my teens into my early 20s, so the shift to writing story notes has been interesting.
I've found that the separate journals takes the process to a whole new level. True freedom! FYI: Target has an excellent selection of wire-bound journals for only a couple of bucks each.
I haven't really worked out an effective journal system yet. After writing my first draft, I have something like a dozen files full of notes that range from organized to coherent to completely random. If I want to go back to an idea (if I even remember it exists) I have no easy way of finding it. How do you get around this problem?
Hi, Aaron. Thanks for stopping by! I use a few techniques to help organize. First, I put a big bold title at the top of each page, which makes topics easier to spot when flipping through. Sometimes, I divide the notebook into sections: Settings, Characters, Song Lyrics, Lines, and Plot. And when I'm revising, I make a list of every little thing my CPs or agent have said, and then check them off one by one as I journal the solutions. These things can help organize, and for the critical items, I stick a neon post-it tab to the page to remind me to go back to it. Another reason I love physical notebooks–it's easier to see these flags on paper than on the screen.
So, when do we get a Mr. Bananapants WIP? Curious readers want to know.
I'm a complete seat-of-my-pants writer for first drafts. That thing you do when you start a WIP…yeah, that's me for the entire thing. It's after I say to myself "this might be done" that I go back and fill in gaps, connect things, add stronger motivations, etc. I've tried outlines, character sketches, graphic organizers…you name it, I've given it a shot but I always come back to pantsing my way through my first draft. I do like how your journal frees you up to vomit words though. I find that I'm quite dear with my words when I'm in my WIP even while I'm just winging it and I think that slows me down sometimes.
Now, back to Mr. Bananapants. It's an erotic thriller, right?
I sort of use this method too. I have a physical journal, but the truth is I only use it if I don't have access to Scrivener. I like the digital clutter better than the physical; it's faster for me to highlight and boldface and move documents around in Scrivener than it is to make notes with a journal.
Well, obviously. I believe the first title in the ten-volume series will be: BananaPants Splits.
It's funny that you mention planning. As I look through my journals, I find they are filled with a chunk of words, followed by the word OR written hugely, and then a totally different scenario. It's like I'm creating a choose-your-own-adventure for my own book.
I admire people who can pull this off in Scrivener. It's not been my thing so far. But we'll see how I feel about it once I get deep into my YA trilogy and can't remember people's names and hair colors and have a dozen journals to thumb through. 🙂
Ha! I should show you my file. You might think twice about me "pulling it off". It works for me, but if anyone ever sorts through it they'll wonder why I needed all of that to write a book.
1. You're writing a YA trilogy? 2. AWWW YOUR JOURNAL!!! Journal of awesome!!! I love reading about your process. 3. I am 100% a panster. I do have a journal but I don't really use it except to jot down lists of things I need to fix (revisions time what up!) or to outline my very confusing YA contemp into something that is not confusing. I respect everyone who can outline but it isn't for me.
<3
1. Yes *runs away*
2. TY <3
3. Pantsers scare me, honest to god. I don't know how you guys do it. I need organization like I need air.
Thanks!
YES!!! I just let it all hang out in my notebooks too! LOVE THIS!
I love keeping a journal! (Though I have to be careful how much I write by hand or it can trigger my carpal tunnel). Also, I love Mr. Bananapants. I think you should write about him walking into an alien space bar.
I'm the same way as you, I plot extensively. My wall is covered in poster boards and cue cards.
I'm envious of your walls 🙂 My 1920's house has an over-abundance of windows. I can't wait for the day when I have a wall board to pin to!
Back when I was hyper active with my writing I used my journals a lot for wild ideas that come to taunt me during revisions. And then things happened and a lot of stuff changed and…
Well I just can't wait to get back to that stage. I miss my journals and journal hoarding. 😉