Notebooks (a witness to my life)

Notebooks have been a trusty companion throughout my writing life -- first as a copywriter, now as an author. I have cartons of them, each a snapshot of what I was doing in my life in the 2 or 3 months until they were full.

In one begun in July 2020, I see the genesis of my story. Ideas for characters (including 'interviews' with them to find out what makes them tick), plot timelines, sensory details for scenes, and feedback from other students in my writing class.

Learnings from books and courses feature heavily in it, along with snippets I gleaned from them: Aaron Sorkin ("character is informed by intention and obstacle"), 'The Emotional Craft of Fiction' by Donald Maas ("What shapes us is not the things that happen to us, but their significance"), books by James Scott Bell, Lisa Cron and Ray Bradbury ("If you are writing without zest, without gusto. without love, without fun, you are only half a writer," and "[a writer] should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasm.")

Interspersed are the odd scribble about 'regular' life stuff (which of course, in the end, is the most important). I see lists I made when organising a Father's Day get together, notes about helping my mother-in-law sort out a tech issue, scribbles regarding a project I was helping my Uncle with, and arrangements to buy a special birthday cake for a friend. It makes me smile to revisit these.

Nowadays I try to start a writing session with a quick writing sprint in my notebook. Today I used it to do a deep dive about the two antagonists in my newest novel (book 2 of the trilogy). It's amazing what free writing yields! I always find something new about a character by doing this exercise.

And with so many pretty options out there, it's a small pleasure each time I choose a new one.

I'm very glad I've captured so much in these books (and the others currently in storage).

As publication of my first novel approaches, it's a tangible record of the many, many hours that have gone into writing it, and the life I lived along the way.

Here's a small sample...