Little Black Book

I am the proud owner of a little black book (LBB). In fact every writer, aspiring or otherwise, should have one. I actually own several such books and they are not all black. I have notebooks in all colours, shapes and sizes, some expensively bound, some cheap notebooks and a whole host of gimmicky ones that have caught my eye when on my travels.

My LBB  does not contain telephone numbers, nor does it dish the dirt on past acquaintances, but to me it contains far more important information - the contents of my mind. Wherever I go, I am never without a notebook and pen so that I can jot down ideas as they occur to me. If I don’t do this, that great new idea will fly out of my head as quickly as it landed there. I know this to be true because it has happened several times in the past. I will have an idea for a character or a twist in the plot but by the time I sit at my computer to write, it will have gone.

When ideas are flowing, I have whole scenes and lines of dialogue swirling around in my head and I have to get them out on paper – fast. Editing and polishing comes later but those initial words and phrases have to be caught and harnessed as they come tumbling out. If I am nowhere near my desk, I reach for my notebook and record my ideas, ready for when I have the opportunity to write them up.

I always have a notebook by my bed so that if something comes to me in the middle of the night, I can just write it down. Recent bouts of insomnia have led to some very creative output in my LBB.

A few years ago, I had a brief flirtation with a dictaphone and I would switch it on and voice record anything that occurred to me during the day. I can’t explain why but this just didn’t work for me and I didn’t get nearly as much satisfaction as I do from scribbling in a notebook. Maybe it has something to do with hand-eye co-ordination, I can’t say for sure, but I quickly went back to my beloved notebooks.

If ever I am stuck for something to write about, I can revisit past books and breathe new life into old ideas but more importantly to me, the notebooks are a record of my literary journey and a reminder of how far I have come (and how far I still have to go!).

Consequently, I now have a large collection of notebooks. Some are full, others contain just a few scribbled notes, but I would never part with any of them.

In common with all writers, I need very few essential things in order to continue with my craft; a computer, a quiet space and time to write just about cover the basics but, for me, the most essential piece of kit will always be my little black book.