Getting Organized

I'm always look ing for an easier way to do things. Lately I've been researching new technologies or systems of organizing my notes and thoughts. One new technique of researching and note taking and writing--well, at least it is new to me involves notecards. I bought 100 index cards and a plastic box with a snap on it. You can get them at Wal-Mart or Walgreens or any of the office stores. It fits in my purse well, and already I have several of the cards filled.

My original plan was to have something handy to jot down bibliographic information from books as I read and digested information, and make my notes accordingly while I was at the library/bookstore/etc. without having to take the hard copy with me. Many times I find reading material in doctor's offices or restaurants that I cannot take with me but would like to reference later. The cards serve as a mini-reference, so I can go back at a later point in time and remember where I read such and so forth.

An added benefit of having the cards is that I have them with me at all times. It is much easier to sit and plot a small scene on an index card than lug a huge notebook or the laptop around. And the small size of the card takes the pressure off of writing a huge amount all at once. It's easy to fill one card. Maybe Two. And before you know it, you have filled several. The beauty is that you're able to move scenes around easily, just like when you did your notecards for your term papers back in college. Remember those?

As a result, I have a couple of scenes sketched out for a project. I'm thinking it will be a children's novel, but it could turn out to be only a short story. Too early to tell. But as you know, I never throw material away. I might chunk several rewrites or pages that have gotten stale, but the original idea or material I keep. You never know when you might be able to rewrite it and use it elsewhere. It might not work with a current project, but perhaps it was not meant for that project. If God gives it to me...then there is a plan somewhere, to be sure.

I have also been looking at the Neo by Alphasmart. It is a streamlined, rugged, small word processor that can run up to 700 hours on 3 AA batteries. If anyone has used one and has a review of it or can offer any insight, I would like to hear about it.

My hubby, CWG, Jr. has been listening to an online sermon by Mike Murdock entitled, "The 10 Technologies That Greatly Affected My Ministries." I know, it does not sound like a sermon, but trust me it will affect your productivity and you might learn a few tricks that will help you whatever your ministry might be. I think it would be worth your time to visit the link and glean from this minister's experience.

But whatever method you choose to organize your thoughts, scenes, plots, characters, etc., the important thing is to get them down before they are lost. If you're getting old like me, sometimes you can have that million-dollar idea and lose it with a 2-second distraction. Drop me a comment on what works best for you. I'm always open to new ideas.