of margin(al) importance

Even though I type way faster than I write, I still like to use pen and paper when I'm just aiming to get a rough first draft of scenes done. I can't explain it, but for some reason it helps me think things through a little more, and I'll end up coming up with new ideas--typically ideas for scenes other than the one I’m working on.

I used to have a second notebook on standby just for these notes, but then I worked out a much easier, more obvious solution. If you leave the left page of your notebook blank, that leaves you the much-needed space for writer-ly processes, such as: planning out scenes, making diagrams and sketches to help you visualize the setting, drawing irrelevant doodles, and, most importantly, sibling-proofing you journal so that you don’t turn around and come back to a “potato” smack-dab in the middle of your climax (see slideshow for more detail on the danger of creative little sisters).

For someone like me, who tends to go through the scene in my head faster than I can write it down, having a blank left page works wonders. When I start jotting down halves of sentences, or skipping entire paragraphs to get the idea down, I'll want to separate this garbled text from the rest of my slightly-more-complete writing. Most times, (though I chose to show the pages that were less dense), the left side ends up just as full as the right.

So there's my tip for your journaling/novel-writing notebooks. My house is full of them; just ask my family. And if I come to visit you in a faraway land, chances are, you'll need to prepare an extra guest room just for my small arsenal of notebooks. 
Cheers!
​Lorena K.