Thread: In writing?

[quote]How do I keep it all in order. All the note i have compiled look like a bunch of half awake dream entries in my dream journal. I may not have a perfect memory, but I definately have an uncommon ability. I can sometimes pick out trivial dates, and what I was doing then.

The idea is congruency. For example, the first time I heard Incubus - A Crow Left of the Murder, well the first half of it, was on July 14, 2004 at 3AM in the morning. How do I remember that? I don't just remember that, I remember a whole bunch of things from that day. That was right at the beginning. I had been out all night at a friend's apartment, partying. He was supposed to have some girls over, but then I went to summer school that Wednesday morning, and went back over to his apartment that night, and there were girls there, lots of drinking, and another story. Also Hoobastank was in town that night, I kind of wanted to go see them. I also remember the CD played two days later, as that week there was an associated theme.

Also, my dream journal is backlogged, that is I only entered basic notes to remember the dreams, not the entire stories because I did not have the time. Now over six months later, as I fill in one dream, I can usually remember a dream or two that comes right after it.

Other than that, tie all your ideas together, weave a web. That way, you only have to remember one thing, and more should follow. They are like dominoes, when you figure out where one is near, you should be able to quickly find more.

For example, when was the last time you had one of your vehicle's brakes replaced? Well, I remember I took it into the shop before work one morning, and was reviewing some introductory notes from a math course. My mom picked me up in the shop, dropped me off at work. It was the beginning of a semester, and I also remember that it was a Friday. I am willing to say it was the second Friday of the semester. I knew I had just started working at the intership too. I remember my supervisor asking me about the situation a couple days later and I told him it was all fixed. It is just like a dream, once you can get the scene in your head, you can start to replay it. This took place just more than six months ago.

Thanks Distant clone for your advice.
Everything or most everything I want to put down on paper is in there. Putting it down in the right place will be the hard part.
I am guessing there will be a lot of editing -adding and subtracting pieces parts.

My memory = What day is it?

[quote]My memory = What day is it?

Me too! I'm going to be a senile old woman!

I've written a few novels (none published as yet. . . . that's the next hurdle!).

I find the best thing to do is to start writing and to not worry about how it's all going to hang together. Even if you write several sections that seemingly have no connection to one another other than the rather tenuous thread you've got in your mind, get them on paper.
The last novel I wrote, I wrote in sections which I have yet to stick together properly.

I think the hardest part of writing a novel is actually getting any words on paper at all.

Then, when it's all on paper and you feel that sense of accomplishment because, well, there it is, on paper and all....

that's when you have to start re-writing. And really, that part is very hard for me. The first novel I wrote is in the midst of its fifth rewrite. The beginning is all wrong and I am loath to start all over. Sometimes you just get sick of it all.


It's during the re-write that you may come up with some really cool ideas for connecting all the pieces together. You could go the William Faulkner route as in "The Sound and the Fury," or perhaps like Ken Kesey in "Sometimes a Great Notion." The man who wrote "Angela's Ashes," Frank McCourt, re-wrote his book a dozen times before he finally found the voice he used in the book, a first person narrative that was very powerful.

Good luck. Start writing and let sense be damned for the time being.

I've got a more logical working mind, and would probably approach such a project with a story board. 'Mind Mapping' might be something worth looking into. It helps put all the ideas into a connected order.

There's a program called 'Free Mind' at sourceforge.net. It's free and it's good.

Thanks for the advice.
As it stands it seems to have worked well how you have suggested ignatz. I just let it flow.
Much similar to how I approach my painting. I guess that is how best my creative mind gets sparked.

I maybe can then take a more logical formatted approach like you suggest PhowaBoy when I do get most of it on paper.

Again i appreciate any advice!
It is new to me and it is rather invigorating, regardless of the quality right now.