A Writer’s Notebook Adapted from A Writer’s Notebook—Unlocking the Writer Within You by Ralph Fletcher

A writer’s notebook is NOT a diary! Writers react. Writers need a place to record these reactions. A writer’s notebook is a place to record these reactions. Your notebook is a place to write down what makes you angry, sad, and amazed, and to write down what you don’t want to forget. Your notebook is a place to live like a writer!

What should I do with my notebook? Write! You get to decide what goes in your notebook. Be observant and look for things that inspire, fascinate, or puzzle you. Do you have stories rumbling around in your head that you want to write down? Explore these questions and ideas in your notebook.

“Writing Small” Jot down details you notice or hear. Start to train yourself to notice details around you-use all your senses. Try to start using more explicit and descriptive words and use fewer vague or general words.

“Seed Ideas” Use your notebook to write down ideas that may later “sprout” into a final piece of writing. When you think of something you might want to write about, jot it down. At some point you may want to go back to that idea, and work with it or combine it with another idea. Be patient-don’t expect your ideas to grow too fast! Give them time!

“Mind Pictures” Start to train yourself to use your senses to help you picture your world. Use all five senses like a camera and capture the images you see around you. Be honest, open, and thorough in your descriptions.

“Dreams” You can get into the habit of writing down your dreams before you forget them.

“Snatches of Talk” Writers are interested in what people say, how they say it, why they say what they do, what words they hear, how they are pronounced or mispronounced. Notebooks can be filled with dialogue. Train yourself to be an observant listener.

“Lists” Some writers like to keep lists of favorite books, movies, or other writing projects. Keep a special part of your notebook for your favorite words or phrases, unusual words, new words, or interesting words.

“Memories” Some people say that memories are the more important to a writer than anything else. Explore your own memories and your feelings connected to them. Think about not only what happened but also how it affected you then, and how it affects you now.

“Scrapbook” A picture, a newspaper article, or a copy of someone else’s writing might inspire you to write. You can use your notebooks to collect important things from your life that you might want to write about.

“Rereading: Digging out the Crystals” Re-read your notebook and look for the intriguing, interesting, and original pieces. What ideas keep coming back over and over in your notebook? Look for those sprouts that may become flowers!

Notebook Checklist -taken from The Writing Workshop by Katie Ray. Keep your notebook with you at all times. Date every entry. Do not skip pages. All drawings should have writing with them. Number the pages. Write daily. Vary your topics. Care for your notebook. Make sure there is evidence of what you’re learning in your notebook.