Always carry a notepad

Why carry a notepad?  That's so old fashioned these days, right?  Wrong!  Of course, a smart phone is useful and can be used for notes and/or writing.  I use mine all the time.

There's something to be said for a pad and pen vs a screen!  When I use a screen, I write differently.  When I use pad and paper, I write differently.  For shorter forms, I like paper and pen.  For longer forms, I usually like using a computer.  My smartphone, I use that for surfing for ideas, making reminders and making notes for writing.

I guess I like the way ink looks on paper.  It's fun to doodle.  It's a very real experience to write in pen and while you're writing to cross out a word, scribble out a sentence and start from scratch.  Not quite the same as deleting text. I supposed this is my editing process.

Still, it's good to be free from dependency on the screen or at least give yourself another creative option.  Have a good idea and your smart phone battery is dead or dying?  If you carry a notepad then you can use that pen, use that paper!  Your idea won't be lost because you forgot to plug in or your smart phone ran out of juice.

A writer always writes - even if you don't write something anyone else will ever read.  Make sure you have the means to keep writing ... always!

A Book within a Book

It's fun to read books within books.  The story lines are unique.  It can be like putting together a reader's puzzle of sorts.

A story within a story.  Ones that come to mind for me are "The Neverending Story" and "The Princess Bride."  Of course, there are certainly more.

Those are fairly easy to keep straight - the present day story vs the other story.  Sometimes, though, it can be a challenge trying to figure out what's what.

That's where descriptive dialogue and good character development come in handy.  And some good editing, too!

I've been keeping a journal about writing and not writing and it could read like a book (I have no plans to submit it ... ever!).  My story within my journal is simply another story for some other time.

The End
:)