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Capturing Those Elusive Ideas When They Strike

It's been a busy summer for the editors of the Craft section — lots of queries, lots of ideas, lots of good things to come in the remaining months of 2003. Still soothing sunburns, scratching mosquito bites and, for some of us, restocking our refrigerators after the Big Blackout hit parts of the U.S. and Canada, we know the holidays will be bearing down on us in no time.

The holiday season can be the best of times, and the worst of times, for writers' productivity. No shortage of inspiration and nostalgia to draw from, we're often short on time to capture ideas in a way that will be meaningful to us three or four months from now. That's why, when these ideas came through our mailbox this summer, we knew we had to change our plans and publish a second Writer's Group a little earlier than scheduled. We think you'll agree that these are creative ways to harness one's Muse — or at least put her on hold for a bit.

From Idea to Article With An Idea Bank — by Radhika Meganathan
Got an idea? Store it!

An "idea bank" ensures that you have your facts ready and, most importantly, it gives you a great query — one you can fill with lots of details. Having an idea bank on hand is particularly great during tight deadlines and sudden assignments.

When I get an idea that I can’t immediately query to a publication, I open my idea bank and a future story is born. Create a separate folder (or a notepad) for future articles. Is there any background work to be done: interviews, quotes, old historical references? Make a note of them along with the idea. You can even talk with experts on the subject, the people involved with the story, or do a little library study. Prepare a list of future articles and store it in a separate folder. When you find the right market for an article, open your query letter template, add the right details, and then ship it off.

“How do I store my ideas? That's a good question!” says Peggy Tibbets, author of "Carly’s Ghost" and managing editor for Writing World. “I have written several story ideas in a spiral notebook labeled 'Story Ideas' and dated them. If the story idea grows into research, and I've collected newspaper and magazine clippings and articles printed from the Internet, I put them in a file folder and give it a working title.”

Once you get the go-ahead from an editor, roll up your sleeves and start. You will find it easier to write your article because your background work is already (mostly) done and you can concentrate on the more difficult details.

Evaluate — Is the story still alive? Do the available facts amount to nothing or do you have the makings of a good article? Cross-check if you have enough details (this way you can have a roaring start in less time).
Focus — What is most important? Your original story may have taken off in a different direction. Begin to focus the story by thinking about the theme, the approach, and thrust area. Pieces will soon begin to fall into place.
Organize — If your ideas are all jumbled together, then your internal editor needs to do a little cleaning up. Start cutting text, form sentences into a cohesive train of thought, and organize everything into interesting paragraphs.
Structure — Structuring your article according to the relevant facts makes it complete and readable. If you get stumped, look at back issues of your target publication (or other similar, favorite publications) or have someone read an early draft. If you submit the article and an editor sends it back with a request for some revision, take the suggestions! The editor is telling you what you need to do to guarantee publication!
Update — If the initial idea is a little too old to include in the submission, then a Web search or a relevant interview might be necessary in order to strengthen the article's topic and give it a sense of recency or immediacy. Take the time to update your article with relevant facts and additions.

Grab That Memory Before It Slips Away — by Uma Girish
Writing about one's life is healing. It cleanses us of accumulated emotional debris. Yet, when I arrive at my desk all charged up to spin out a 1000-word essay about my tree-climbing childhood, the words do not trip off my pen. Instead, my "memory bank," to borrow a "Rowling-ism," becomes petrified. Anecdotes and events stored in little niches refuse to dislodge themselves and grant me access.

After many mental maneuvers, I discovered a memory trigger idea that serves me well. All it took was a stroll to the local stationery store. I returned with a couple of sheets of chart paper and an assortment of colored pens. I spread out my white chart sheet and, with a felt-tip pen, divided it into a neat grid. Then, using my amateur drawing skills, whenever an object, phrase, book title, piece of music, smell, or color triggers a memory, I draw a picture into one of the squares on my chart grid.

Walking down the market one summer day, an old woman shuffled ahead of me holding a black umbrella. The image of that black umbrella took me back to when, as a seven-year-old, I had walked down a long, narrow road, with spring-green paddy fields on either side. Rain battered down, and a sudden gust of wind plucked the black umbrella from my young fingers and carried it away. I remember standing there watching this awesome sight — an airborne black umbrella. When I returned home, the memory of that black umbrella found its way into a square on my chart.

Once I have several memories pinned down, I return to the chart and pick a memory to write about. I close my eyes, focus on that single moment, and ask myself a few key questions.

What do I see? A white house? A vat of toddy?
What do I smell? Petrol fumes? Lentil soup? Incense?
How does the air feel? Electric? Muggy? Cool?
What sounds do I hear? Car horns? Shouting? The eerie stillness of night?
Do I taste something? Metallic? Sweet? Sour?

I work hard at drawing out the wholeness of the experience and the richness of the surroundings. I write it all down, in no particular order. Sometimes details elude me, only to surface at the oddest of moments. But a picture does emerge, like a negative that sloshes around in the chemicals of the mind. First fuzzy, then gradually the focus gets clearer.

Much like inspiration, memory triggers don't always knock before they arrive. The connection, very often, happens in a split second. And if you're late in catching it, it slips through the edges of memory and stays hidden until it feels like teasing you again. Now, when I have these unannounced visitors, I grab hold of them and pin them down as drawings in my chart.

PDA: Techno-gadgets That Make Useful Writing Tools — by Eugene Matthews
Want to finish a writing project, but can’t find the time? Need to track more than one project? Writers can write more and write now, using a personal data assistant (PDA).

The PDA keeps any writing project less than 30 seconds away. The traditional writer may feel limited by having to write at a desk, but with the PDA, a writer can write virtually anywhere quickly and efficiently. If it can be written with pen and paper, it can be written using a PDA.

Once a document is created or added to the PDA, you can revise and edit it whenever or wherever you find a few spare moments. The PDA give you the flexibility to “chip away” at a writing project and complete it — typically faster than when you use more traditional methods. Having your writing project constantly available on your PDA, and having the PDA constantly available, every spare moment could be used to review or modify your document. You are no longer hampered by the need for traditional writing equipment.

Tracking multiple writing projects and a busy schedule can be a chore. Calendar applications are standard with most PDAs and are a powerful asset. By using the built-in PDA calendar program, it is very simple to keep track of all types of tasks. Adding the date and time an interview was done, complete with notes taken during the interview, lets you keep your research material within reach. A calendar containing all the deadlines, speaking engagements, writing opportunities, and other scheduled events lets you accurately maintain a clear picture of where you stand and helps you to focus your activities. You can even set a reminder alarm to alert you of a scheduled commitment, preventing anything from falling through the cracks.

The PDA is easy to learn and simple to use. The added benefit of compactness and lightness lets you discreetly carry your PDA in a purse or pocket. The key advantage is the ability to write virtually anywhere, anytime. Since the PDA takes only moments to activate, and documents can be created immediately, you are able to write in the moment, instantly capturing ideas. As the artificial writing boundaries are overcome, you will find yourself writing more often — in the park, on your camping trip, in a waiting room...virtually anywhere a PDA can be taken.

From "how to" to "whodunnit," poetry to travel, whether the goal is to write an article or a book, the PDA let you write faster, write more, and write now!