Home
>
Writing
>
Turning Your Journal Into An Idea Bank

Turning Your Journal Into An Idea Bank

A few magazines refer to their written idea sources in assigning articles to reliable, experienced writers, or even allow those writers to peruse them for topics to write about.

And for awhile, I kept an idea book that was similar to a writer's journal. But there was a problem. If I needed an idea, I had to virtually read every entry before locating the one I wanted and needed. However, doing this so frequently proved to be a waste of time and energy. But after tweaking it a bit, I found a way to make it more efficient and profitable for me.

I used a looseleaf cover and paper, organizing my journal into a few specific categories of interest, such as "pet health." There, I would include entries that directly pertained to that topic. For example, I would include observations tracking my progress in helping my cat recover from conjunctivities (pink eye), from following the vet's advice to developing my own strategies for administering medicine with an eye dropper. I would also include a few notes on what I probably should have done, as well as mistakes I made during that time. Bits of information from relevant, reliable websites and books would be included.

Organizing my observations and notes this way enabled me to quickly locate a given topic and review its entries. Rereading those entries not only refreshes my mind, but provides some material from which to manipulate and gain additional insights for possible articles and books.

In effect, I was writing entries in a writer's journal, but in a more organized manner. No more endless searches and rereading entries for me!

You can try this yourself, using a separate hardcover, stitched notebook for each topic of interest. This strategy is especially effective if your chosen topic or topics are rather involved, motivating you to write detailed entries. Otherwise, a looseleaf notebook is fine. You can change the order of topics from three to two and organize their contents better.

Another suggestion is dating each entry, as well as assigning a title to it. Doing this will save time. Instead of reading all of the entries under a given category, all you'll need to do is read a few selected ones. Dating entries is also useful for organizing purposes, especially if you want to track your progress in moving from idea trigger to a fully developed piece.

And finally, wait until you have a month to several months' worth of entries under various topics of interest. Your subconscious will be at work in the meantime and you will be in for a pleasant surprise when you refer to your idea book again. Remember to keep making entry "deposits!" And have fun.

Happy idea mining!

Dorothy Zjawin's website, http://www.profitable-pen.com focuses on mining ideas from writer's journals for articles and books.

Twin Lakes rental limo .. Lockport Chicago limo O’Hare

In The News:

The White House launched a new cybersecurity safety label, the U.S. Cyber Trust Mark, intended to help consumers make informed decisions on smart device safety.

Today's tech can help make life so much easier — if you know how to use it. Here are a few tips on the quickest and best ways to make your phone, laptop and other devices work for you.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers Windows 11 restart fixes: Update drivers, run system scans and check hardware.

Sony and Honda's Afeela 1 EV launches with advanced tech and entertainment for $89,900. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives his takeaways.

With limited hard drive space, tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson offers these tips for storing large video files and photos.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the $236,000 Yangwang U9 electric hypercar boasts 1,287 horsepower and can jump obstacles.

Flip phones are harder to block spam calls from, but it's not impossible. Kurt the "CyberGuy" explains how to stop incoming robocalls on your flip phone.

With so many notifications buzzing our phones these days, it's tough to distinguish between legitimate messages and possible scams. Kurt the CyberGuy helps unravel the mystery.

Scammers have a new trick where they pretend to be job recruiters to plant malicious apps on your devices. It all starts with a deceptive email.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

Kurt the CyberGuy breaks down why those emails that warn that "Your Apple ID has been disabled" is most likely a scam. Here's how to protect yourself.

Even small mistakes can negatively impact your credit score; here are some of the most common credit report errors and how you can fix them.

Tech guru Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson explores the many different ways you can repurpose that old iPhone of yours rather than trashing it.

A pioneering artificial intelligence and robotics company from China has developed a repository of over 1 million robotic movements to provide robotic training.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals the warning signs and steps to take if you suspect that your personal computer is infected with a virus.

Researchers found in a study that users of a robotic prosthetic hand could successfully grasp and move two objects at once without dropping them.

The James Webb Space Telescope captured photos of one of the earliest supernovas ever seen using infrared technology, and creating a time lapse of the phenomena.

Stay up to date on the latest AI technology advancements and learn about the challenges and opportunities AI presents now and for the future.

New Mac malware variant targets browser credentials and personal data, researchers find. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson gives tips to safeguard your Mac from the latest malware threats.

The Jetson One eVTOL showcases air racing potential, ushering in a new aviation era. Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says the race for eVTOL supremacy is just beginning.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson reveals that hackers stole data from Gravy Analytics, a major seller of smartphone location data to the U.S.

Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson: If you just bought a new iPhone, here’s what to do first when you fire it up.

AC Future and Pininfarina unveil AI Transformer homes, merging sustainability and innovation. Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson says this could change the way we think about home.

Technology expert Kim Komando shares her easy tips on how to declutter your phones, computers and devices from the files you no longer need.

Tech expert Kurt “CyberGuy" Knutsson has the details on a Volkswagen data leak that exposed the personal data of around 800,000 EV owners.

Turning Your Journal Into An Idea Bank

Writing