Home
>
Writing
>
Call Yourself a Writer? Where Are Your Notes?

Call Yourself a Writer? Where Are Your Notes?

Writers are notorious collectors of slips of paper. They tear articles from magazines in the doctor's waiting room; they rip corners off newspapers in friend's houses because they need to write down something witty; and they stuff their bags and pockets with serviettes, cigarette packs, and discarded train tickets just because note making's second nature to them.

More often than not, when they eventually find a note, they haven't a clue what it was related to. Just yesterday, I found this one lurking at the bottom of bag I hadn't used for months. "House - blue window frames. Why wisteria?" Why, indeed! I hadn't the foggiest.

I'd made the one mistake a writer should never make. While I'd obviously found a handy supermarket cash-out slip for my note making, I hadn't dealt with my note within 24 hours. I certainly hadn't used any form of filing system - unless that's what you'd call the bottom of an old handbag.

Where A Writer's Notes Should Be Put

When I've been out, I'll usually fire up my computer as soon as I get home. I have a folder for document archiving that I've called 'Ideas'. Under there are a number of documents that I use as a filing system for my notes. Each note is put into one or more of the documents, depending where it fits.

Let's say I've made a note about Shahtoosh, and how the Tibetan Antelope is almost extinct thanks to our selfish desire for luxury. I'd transfer my writer's notes to a document called 'Environment', another called 'Wildlife' and a third named 'Fashion'. I could also put it under 'Human Selfishness', but I don't have one.

The point is that you should give your each file in your document archiving system a name that means something to you. If you mostly write about food and drink related subjects, you wouldn't need a filing system for 'Housing Issues'. If you did find something you'd like to write about housing, you could pop it in your 'Miscellaneous' file, a great place to rummage through when you fancy a break from your usual subjects.

No, what you need is 'Eating Out', 'Recipes', 'Wine', 'Alcoholic Beverages', 'Cakes and Deserts' or something along those lines. Only you know what best suits your writing.

Filing System Not Working? Don't Worry

When you first start working on your filing system, you'll probably make a few mistakes and find yourself moving things around. Don't worry - you'll get there in the end. Finding a document archiving system that works properly on the first try probably never happens. It's never happened to me, anyway.

Within each file-whether you've chosen to use an MS Word document or a plain text file-make sub-headings. Going back to the food and drink note making, sub-headings in the 'Eating Out' document could be 'Fast Food', 'Chinese Restaurants', 'Pub Meals', and 'Dinner Parties'. You could add more, obviously.

Do you see how a useful filing system is being built up?

If you think you'll have a lot under one heading, there's a second way of designed a filing system for your note making. Under your folder called 'Ideas'-or whatever you've chosen to call yours-you could have a sub-folder for 'Food and Drink'. The documents under this folder could then be called 'Fast Food', "Pub Meals', etc.

The point is, writer's notes get lost quickly so it's important you design a system that works for you. But just because you've designed yourself a mind-blowing filing system, don't rest on your laurels too much-it isn't all about note making, you have to actually transfer your notes, too!

Sharon Jacobsen is a full-time freelance writer living in South Cheshire, England. While she most enjoys writing about social and environmental issues, she'll happily populate your website with engaging, keyword rich articles on any just about any subject, from dog breeding to cricket.

To contact Sharon, or to find out more about her work, please http://www.sharon-jacobsen.co.uk

quick home cleaning Glenview ..

In The News:

FBI warns cybercriminals are stealing family photos from social media to create fake proof of life images in virtual kidnapping scams targeting victims.

Instagram's new 'Your Algorithm' tool lets you control your Reels feed in real time. The app now gives you power to customize what videos you see.

Major Marquis fintech breach exposes 400,000-plus Americans' data through unpatched SonicWall vulnerability, with Texas hardest hit at 354,000 affected.

Free up iPhone storage fast by clearing large photos and videos from Messages app. Simple steps for iOS users to delete attachments without losing chats.

Scammers are flooding inboxes with fake tracking alerts that mimic real carriers, exploiting the holiday rush to steal logins and personal data.

The Fox News AI Newsletter brings you the latest news on AI technology advancements and the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Texas family reunites with missing 11-year-old cat Grayson after 103 days using Petco Love Lost's AI photo matching technology and community help.

Tired of AI customer service loops? These insider tricks help you escape "frustration AI" and get real human help when you need it most for urgent issues.

Unlock richer audio from your streaming apps with simple tweaks to volume normalization, equalizer settings, and quality preferences for cleaner sound.

Scammers are sending fake Facebook settlement payout emails that mimic legitimate notices from the privacy settlement administrator to deceive users.

Holiday shopping scams surge as fake refund emails target distracted consumers during Black Friday and holiday seasons, costing Americans billions annually.

The AI-powered IRMO M1 exoskeleton features four modes, including turbo, eco, training and rest for hiking, running, cycling and sports with eight-hour battery life.

OpenAI announced upgrades for its ChatGPT Images platform on Tuesday, saying the program can now make more precise edits and produce images more quickly.

Chrome for Android now turns web articles into AI-powered podcast conversations. Get hands-free browsing with Google Gemini's natural audio summaries.

LastPass faces $1.6 million fine from U.K. regulators after 2022 data breach exposed 1.6 million users. Password manager failed proper security controls.

Petco disclosed a data breach exposing customer Social Security numbers, financial account details, and driver's license information due to a software error.

Baseball teams can now analyze complete swing mechanics in normal training environments using Theia's markerless AI system that processes standard high-speed footage.

Smart home hacking fears overblown? Expert reveals real cybersecurity risks and simple protection tips to keep your connected devices safe from hackers.

MIT develops needle-free glucose monitor using light technology. Revolutionary device could replace painful finger pricks for diabetes management.

The ClickFix campaign disguises malware as legitimate Windows updates, using steganography to hide shellcode in PNG files and bypass security detection systems.

Researchers from Osaka Metropolitan University designed a 21-foot dome that combines aquaculture and hydroponics to create a self-sustaining urban food system.

The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.

ChatGPT data breach exposes personal info of users through partner Mixpanel. OpenAI confirms names, emails compromised in security incident.

Android rolls out Emergency Live Video for 911 calls, letting dispatchers see real-time scenes during emergencies. Great for holiday travel safety.

Malicious Chrome and Edge extensions collected browsing history, keystrokes and personal data from millions of users before Google and Microsoft removed them.

Call Yourself a Writer? Where Are Your Notes?

Writing