I spent this last week quietly working through all the notes I have for not only The Marigold Miracle, but also The Rose Rebellion (book 3), The Dahlia Dilemma (possibly book 3.5), and a manuscript to be named later (but maybe The Florence Fiasco).
Yes, I love me some alliteration.
I refined the old notes (things change as I write) and made new ones. As you can see:
Actually, that’s not all the notes I’ve made while writing this series, just the most recent ones.
There are all sorts of studies about the hand-to-brain connection. I love writing longhand. The main problem I have is searching for the information I’ve written down. Clearly, my handwriting is nowhere near good enough to scan into a digital file (if only).
So, I’ve further refined my notetaking technique by adding plot points and characters in the margins. That way, I can page through and quickly find what I need.
The other thing I’m doing is double-checking my world-building. I really don’t want to end up needing to retcon (retroactive continuity) something.
I’ve really enjoyed this process, and I plan to keep at it for this coming week. Not interacting with any kind of digital technology for several hours in the morning has been unbelievably refreshing.
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This sounds like an amazing — and rewarding! — review process: a fantastic way to think about past work and consider ways to move it into the future.
I’m curious, though, about all the writing by hand. I, too, love to write by hand, but I’ve gotten to an age where it can be incredibly fatiguing/painful… and you’ve occasionally mentioned arthritis. How do you manage this?
Totally agree with you about avoiding digital interaction in the morning. Once you turn on those machines in the morning, they are such a nag! So much more peaceful without them!
Actually, writing longhand doesn’t hurt nearly as much as some other activities (gardening, I’m looking at you). I also use a light touch with my pen. And, for Christmas, I received a paraffin wax machine and that has done wonders for my arthritis. So, I manage.
Good morning. I’m in awe of your longhand notetaking. I recently did the free 5 day Wild Writing prompt series and wrote longhand for 15 minutes every morning. I loved it so much more than I thought I would. The 15 minutes flew by. I discovered that if I used grid paper (something I have a ton of for some strange reason), I tended to write larger which put less stress on my hand/wrist arthritis. I desperately need to edit rough drafts, but I’m overwhelmed with ALL the words! Maybe backtracking with a notebook and taking notes on my scenes would help me get organized enough to tackle the edits. Thanks!
Zooming out may help with your story. At least, I find it helpful to zoom out and then zoom back in again. I also really enjoy the connection I make writing longhand.