Skip to main content

Brainstorm warning

Captain's Log, Supplemental

Writers write in all kinds of ways. My way happens to involve lots of Post-It notes and my closet doors.

This is my brainstorm for my new novel proposal. I’m pretty excited about it, because it involves dogs. :)



Anyway, you can see that it’s kind of like a bunch of Post-Its hit exponential cell growth. Oops, sorry, I lapsed into biologist-speak. Well, you can obviously see my Post-Its exploded.

I just stand there with Post-Its in one hand and a Sharpie in the other and start scribbling ideas and sticking them on the wall. Sometimes I group ideas together like a big amoeba, other times I put random ideas wherever there’s space.

Later, I’ll go through and discard what I don’t like. But while I’m brainstorming, I try not to cull ideas—I just come up with as many as I can, one after the other.

I use my closet doors because they’re bigger than a corkboard. I put adhesive shelf liner on them to help the Post-Its stick better. I had to try four different liners before I found one where the Post-Its stuck rather than fell off, but I’m really pleased because the liner helps the Post-Its stick better than just the paint on the doors.

I finished this proposal last week, so now I’m going to clean these off and stick them on notebook pages for storage. Then I’ll Post-It all over the place for my next proposal!

Comments

Winter Peck said…
Wish I had a room for that. I don't think DH would like the living room wall plastered with Post-it notes. Right now, a yellow legal pad is for notes and brainstorming.
Delia said…
I was reading your post and asking myself, "But, Post-Its really aren't all that sticky. How does she keep them from falling off?"

I never would've thought of shelf liners.
Anonymous said…
If you have a Mac, I would HIGHLY recommend you look into a piece of software called Scrivener. It is a word processor made for writers. Very cool. Has a virtual cork board and 3x5 cards. Your method is sacred, but it might be worth a look.
Mary Connealy said…
I didn't know you could post active links in the COMMENTS of a blog. Camy you are so far ahead of me in this stuff. (I know...duh)

I got here from the Novel Journey blog's comments section. I've never seen that done before.

Teach Me!

Popular Posts

Tabi socks, part deux

Captain's Log, Stardate 07.25.2008 (If you're on Ravelry, friend me! I'm camytang.) I made tabi socks again! (At the bottom of the pattern is the calculation for the toe split if you're not using the same weight yarn that I did for this pattern (fingering). I also give an example from when I used worsted weight yarn with this pattern.) I used Opal yarn, Petticoat colorway. It’s a finer yarn than my last pair of tabi socks, so I altered the pattern a bit. Okay, so here’s my first foray into giving a knitting pattern. Camy’s top-down Tabi Socks I’m assuming you already know the basics of knitting socks. If you’re a beginner, here are some great tutorials: Socks 101 How to Knit Socks The Sock Knitter’s Companion A video of turning the heel Sock Knitting Tips Yarn: I have used both fingering weight and worsted weight yarn with this pattern. You just change the number of cast on stitches according to your gauge and the circumference of your ankle. Th...

She insulted a hat 👒 and ruined her Season

Welcome! My name is Camille Elliot, and I write Christian Regency Suspense with slow-burn romance and a touch of the supernatural. Thank you for— “Cut!” Lissa, one of my characters, shouts and stomps onto the stage. I stare at her. “I’m not filming a commercial.” “It doesn’t matter. You’re being boring.” I shift uncomfortably, because she’s probably right. “Well then, what should I say? I’m writing a blog post for someone who doesn’t know anything about my books.” “If you start with pleasantries, I will hide your tea,” she threatens. “ All of it.” I gasp in horror. “You wouldn’t!” “Try me!” “I was just going to ask readers to subscribe to my newsletter.” “I shall topple into the shrubbery as I fall dead asleep on my feet.” “Rude,” I mutter. “Maybe start with an explosion. Or at least a hideous hat that ruins my reputation forever.” “Your reputation wasn’t ruined,” I protest. “You were simply unfortunately overheard.” “As I insulted a hat.” “Then maybe you shouldn’t insu...

Mansfield Park (BBC 1986)

Captain’s Log, Supplemental Blog book giveaway: To enter, go to the blog links below and post a comment there. Valley of Betrayal by Tricia Goyer It Happens Every Spring by Gary Chapman and Catherine Palmer Jane Austen miniseries I love Jane Austen. She’s my favorite classic writer, and I even bought audiobooks of her novels and listen to them again and again. I also love Amazon.com and visit my Gold Box every day (not that I buy that often). One day I had a deal for the entire set of DVDs of miniseries produced by BBC of Jane Austen’s novels. No, I didn’t buy the set—but it made me curious, and so I put the miniseries on my Netflix queue. The miniseries are all rather old. I just finished Mansfield Park . I’m quite divided on it. Costumes: score 4. They were mostly really rather nice, appropriate to the character’s background and income, and not too flamboyant, although there were several places the women’s headgear was just way over the top. Acting: score 4. I l...

Grace Livingston Hill romances free to read online

I wanted to update my old post on Grace Livingston Hill romances because now there are tons more options for you to be able to read her books for free online! I’m a huge Grace Livingston Hill fan. Granted, not all her books resonate with me, but there are a few that I absolutely love, like The Enchanted Barn and Crimson Roses . And the best part is that she wrote over 100 books and I haven’t yet read them all! When I have time, I like to dive into a new GLH novel. I like the fact that most of them are romances, and I especially appreciate that they all have strong Christian themes. Occasionally the Christian content is a little heavy-handed for my taste, but it’s so interesting to see what the Christian faith was like in the early part of the 20th century. These books are often Cinderella-type stories or A Little Princess (Frances Hodgson Burnett) type stories, which I love. And the best part is that they’re all set in the early 1900s, so the time period is absolutely fasci...

Blog guests - GUIDED BY HIM by Julie Morris and Sarah Morris Cherry

Guided by Him Lose the Weight...Lose the Worry! Mother and Daughter Team Up to Share the Plan Does the idea of starting a diet make you hungry? Can you eat more than your children's combined weight in twinkies? Don't worry! Help is on the way. Author Julie Morris, RN, and her daughter, Sarah Morris Cherry, have developed a proven method for losing weight and keeping it off permanently. The Guided By Him method not only helps people lose weight, it also helps participants learn how to cope with stress. After years of struggling with her weight, Julie has developed a strategic, humor-filled plan designed to keep participants motivated, laughing, learning and yes, even eating. I n Guided By Him , readers embark on an adventure in weight loss. Julie and Sarah use uplifting scriptures, thought-provoking questions, daily devotionals and fun-filled food facts to ensure readers keep a positive, light attitude toward learning a leaner lifestyle. Julie's experience as a nurse an...