The Bottomless Notebook

Reading through a writer's notebook or journal is like discovering pearls, rubies and diamonds amidst a pile of rubble.

That little notebook is a powerhouse of ideas for every writer: The more you write down bits and pieces of your thoughts and observations, the more you are adding into the well of ideas for future works.

Here are a few things you can record in your notebook or journal, so that in case you run out of ideas to write about, you can refer to it:

Your Shoeboxed Life: Write what you know, feel and experience. Jot down snippets of events in your life. Write a sentence or a paragraph about a funny, embarrassing, happy or infuriating experience.

The Interesting People. Scribble descriptions of people you meet every day. How do they react in certain situations? How do their names fit their image?

A Word a Day. Whenever an interesting word catches your attention, write it down. It may have a different meaning for you a month or a year from now. If you keep a list of words in your notebook, these words can serve as story starters for you.

Those Quotable Quotes. A meaningful quote can start you off to writing. Collect quotes you come across that interest you.

Ordinary People with their One-Liners. Overheard lines in a conversation can sometimes spark your creative mind. Write down these one-liners in your notebook. They can be great story starters.

Something You Read. Read good books. Keep a file of memorable lines or quotes. Write down quirky billboard ads. Scan the papers for one-liners. These are good idea stimulators.

Emotions. Describe what you feel at any given moment. If you feel angry right now, write what your anger feels like. Descriibe it. Use vivid words.

Writers are similar to store owners. Store owners stock their supplies in their shelves, while you stock ideas between the pages of your little writer's notebook.

You can make your stock endless, bottomless. You can reach down again and again for inspiration without exhausting your notebook of reserve.

So start stocking your writer's notebook today. A week from now, take a peek in it and you just might find something there that could connect your pen to paper.

About The Author

Copyright (c) 2003-2004 Shery Ma Belle Arrieta-Russ

Shery is the author of the book, WEEKLY WRITES: 52 Weeks of Writing Bliss! Grab a copy from amazon.com and get free unlimited access to the amazon.com Exclusive Members Area that features over $250 worth of goodies! amazon.com

tidy up service Glenview ..
In The News:

Criminals test stolen data by applying for deposit accounts in victims' names to prepare bigger attacks. Learn why banks won't share fraud details.
New study of 10,500+ kids reveals early smartphone ownership linked to depression, obesity, and poor sleep by age 12. Earlier phones mean higher risks.
A phone phishing attack compromised Harvard's alumni and donor database, marking the second security incident at the university in recent months.
AutoFlight's zero-carbon floating vertiport uses solar power to charge eVTOL aircraft while supporting emergency response, tourism, and marine energy maintenance.
A new phone return scam targets recent buyers with fake carrier calls. Learn how criminals steal devices and steps to protect yourself from this fraud.
New Anthropic research reveals how AI reward hacking leads to dangerous behaviors, including models giving harmful advice like drinking bleach to users seeking help.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Holiday email scams, including non-delivery fraud and gift card schemes, spike in November and December, costing victims hundreds of millions, the FBI says.
Holiday visits offer the perfect opportunity to help older parents with technology updates, scam protection and basic troubleshooting skills for safer digital experiences.
Swiss scientists create grain-sized robot that surgeons control with magnets to deliver medicine precisely through blood vessels in medical breakthrough.
Researchers exploited WhatsApp's API vulnerability to scrape 3.5 billion phone numbers. Learn how this massive data breach happened and protect yourself.
Travel companies share passenger data with third parties during holidays, but travelers can protect themselves by removing data from broker sites and using aliases.
Xpeng's humanoid robot moves so realistically that crowds believed it was fake, marking a major advancement in robotics technology ahead of 2026 commercial launch.
Researchers discover phishing scam using invisible characters to evade email security, with protection tips including password managers and two-factor authentication.
iPhone and Android users can reduce battery drain and data usage by restricting Background App Refresh to Wi-Fi connections instead of mobile networks.
Scammers nearly stole an Apple account by exploiting the support system with authentic-looking tickets and phone calls, users can protect themselves with safety steps.
FoloToy restored sales of its AI teddy bear Kumma after a weeklong suspension following safety group findings of risky and inappropriate responses to children.
Threat intelligence firm Synthient uncovers one of the largest password exposures ever, prompting immediate security recommendations.
Viral video shared by Elon Musk shows Tesla's Optimus humanoid robots performing tasks from cooking to construction, garnering over 58.5 million views on social media.
Chinese hackers used Anthropic's Claude AI to launch autonomous cyberattacks on 30 organizations worldwide, marking a major shift in cybersecurity threats.
Apple's new Sleep Score feature gives you a rating for your nightly rest quality. Learn how to set it up on your Apple Watch and iPhone today.
Essential phone settings to enable before losing your device, including Find My network, location services and security features for iPhone and Android.
The Fox News AI Newsletter gives readers the latest AI technology advancements, covering the challenges and opportunities AI presents.
Cybersecurity research shows weak passwords remain a major threat, with simple patterns and number sequences putting millions of accounts at risk.
New Android malware BankBot YNRK silences phones, steals banking data and drains crypto wallets automatically. Learn how this advanced threat works.

Turbo-Charging Your Writing Career - 6 High-Yield Strategies

Hands up all those who'd like to have a successful... Read More

Editing Secrets

Once you've plotted out your book, developed the characters and... Read More

2nd Installment on Autobiography

ESSAY 2Andre Malraux once said that what interested him in... Read More

Important Points of Fiction

Fiction manuscripts receive feedback that addresses and scores:? The theme... Read More

Ten Quick Tips for Inexperienced Writers

One of the biggest problems that inexperienced writers have is... Read More

Written Communications ? 6 Tips on Language & Tone

In most aspects of business, we will be expected to... Read More

71 Ways For A Writer To Make Money

There are so many ways for writers to make good... Read More

Focusing Your Reading and Finding Ideas

Many experts recommend reading as a way to get ideas,... Read More

Story Structure - Final Conflict

Beyond three and four act story structure, lies the Hero's... Read More

Get Rich Writing With Your Computer Word Processor

Your computer is a writing machine, a word processor, a... Read More

Revising Your Manuscript: Fourteen Questions to Ask Yourself

1) Can you summarize the story in about a sentence... Read More

The Run-on Sentence: From Here To Eternity

If you find your sentences filled with commas, and they... Read More

A Beginners Guide to Writing a Novel

No one is born a novel writer. But do you... Read More

How To Stay Fit While Writing

Day after day, writers tend to sit for hours writing... Read More

A Writers Personal Cheer Squad

We all need a cheer squad.We all need people to... Read More

Six Tips for Submitting Fiction - if you want it to get published

You can learn a lot about what it takes to... Read More

The One-Plot Wonder

Back in the mid to late 1980s I was a... Read More

Top 5 Rules of English Grammar

Communication is effective when we follow certain rules. These rules... Read More

Novel to Screenplay: The Challenges of Adaptation

ADAPTATION 101Brimming with confidence, you've just signed the check purchasing... Read More

Format Each eBook Chapter Before you Write It

Do you have a problem creating a focus in your... Read More

Strategies For Finding Topics To Write About

What possibly could I have to write about? I never... Read More

Critique Groups - The Good, The Bad and the Ugly

What do people expect when they join a writing group?The... Read More

7 Weapons to Conquer the Giant Procrastination Keeping You from Your Book Dream

Have you been guilty of procrastinating on your book project,... Read More

Could Your Book Idea Be the Next Best Seller?

Everyone has a unique story to tell. From explaining business... Read More

Screenwriting, Screenplays, Screenwriters ? Good Ideas for Stories

The principle for writing good screenplays begins with good idea... Read More

maid service near Winnetka ..