Ever have one of those days?
You need to write a new blog post, but you can’t think of any interesting ideas. Or maybe you’re trying to write a short story but can’t get past the first line.
What do you do when you run up against a creative block?
Many famous writers would have reached for their writing notebooks. W. Somerset Maugham, Mark Twain, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Joan Didion, John Steinbeck, and Damon Knight are among the famous writers who kept a notebook to collect ideas and help them out of creative ruts.
Today, let’s take a peek into the notebooks of famous writers and thinkers to see the many different ways we can use a physical notebook or a note taking app on a computer or smartphone to boost creativity and beat writer’s block.
1. Use a Writing Notebook Whenever Inspiration Hits
It’s probably happened to you at some point. You’re far away from your computer, maybe shopping at the store or riding the train home from work, when suddenly you think up a new blog post idea or idea for a short story.
Rather than losing the idea forever (the short-term memory only retains information for three minutes unless reinforced), you can jot it down in your notebook.
A small notebook can be easily slipped into a purse or a jacket pocket. Alternatively, you can use a note taking app on your smartphone (I love Evernote) that will sync with your computer.
If you’re driving a car when inspiration hits, you can get even more creative and use a voice recording app to capture your ideas without taking your hands off the wheel. An iPhone, for example, can be voice activated using Siri.
Ernest Hemingway carried a notebook with him constantly. In A Moveable Feast (affiliate link), he wrote, “I belong to this notebook and this pencil.” Check out a page from one of his small notebooks here.
In Damon Knight’s book Creating Short Fiction (affiliate link), he wrote, “Keep a notebook handy or carry it with you so that you can jot down thoughts that occur to you at odd moments.”
In his book A Writer’s Notebook (affiliate link), W. Somerset Maugham observed how keeping a notebook forced him to clarify his thoughts. He wrote,
By making a note of something that strikes you, you separate it from the incessant stream of impressions that crowd across the mental eye, and perhaps fix it in your memory. All of us have had good ideas or vivid sensations that we thought would one day come in useful, but which, because we were too lazy to write them down, have entirely escaped us.
When you know you are going to make a note of something, you look at it more attentively than you otherwise would, and in the process of doing so the words are borne in upon you that will give it its private place in reality.
Keeping this kind of a notebook encourages you to be curious, ask questions about the world, think innovatively, and find creative solutions to the problems you encounter.
2. Use a Writing Notebook to Brainstorm
Mark Twain was a big fan of pocket notebooks as well. In this picture, you can see two pages in his notebook where he wrote up a list of potential names for characters in a story.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was another prolific note taker; his journals (affiliate link) ended up reaching sixteen volumes. They are filled with many observations that later served as the foundation for his other literary works.
W. Somerset Maugham used his notebook in this way as well. He wrote (affiliate link),
As I grew older and more aware of my intentions, I used my notebooks less to record my private opinions, and more to put down while still fresh my impressions of such persons and places as seemed likely to be of service to me for the particular purpose I had in view at the moment…
I have never claimed to create anything out of nothing; I have always needed an incident or a character as a starting point, but I have exercised imagination, invention and a sense of the dramatic to make it something of my own.
Essentially, the notebook exists as a private place to plant your ideas and watch them grow. It’s the perfect place to work on plotting a novel or writing up a rough outline of a blog post.
3. Use a Writing Notebook to Collect Research
Leonardo da Vinci was another one of the most famous note keepers in history. He filled hundreds of pages with sketches, scientific diagrams, ideas for new inventions, and reflections on art. These pages weren’t bound together as books until after his death.
Because da Vinci was left-handed, he found it easier to write from right to left. That means his notes can only be read in a mirror. To make his writings even more private, he often employed a kind of shorthand and didn’t worry about perfect penmanship or proper punctuation.
What he did care about was carefully recording his lab notes and his many ideas for new inventions: everything from a flying machine to a submarine prototype. (Check out a page from one his notebooks here.)
Similarly, during Charles Darwin’s voyage on the HMS Beagle, he kept a series of field notebooks that he filled with his scientific observations. Below is a page from one of the books:
The philosopher Blaise Pascal also carefully wrote down his research and observations. The Pensées (affiliate link), published after his death, is a collection of the many thoughts on philosophy and theology that he jotted down on scraps of paper as he prepared a defense of Christianity. You can see one of those scraps of paper here.
Whether you’re researching an article or a novel, you need a place where you can organize all of that material.
When I’m working on a blog post, I use Evernote. I have found this app to be the perfect place to store the many articles and quotes I collect. Evernote has a feature that allows you to save anything you see online—including text, links, and images—into your Evernote account with a single click.
Alternatively, if you are working on a novel or any kind of book-length manuscript, you can use Scrivener. I love this app as it allows you to outline and structure your ideas, take notes, and view research alongside your writing.
4. Use a Writing Notebook to Warm Up Your Writing Muscle
This photo shows a page from one of Thomas Edison’s many notebooks.
He writes at the top of the page: things doing and to be done. His to-do list runs for several pages and includes an amazing number of ideas, including an electrical piano, “unflammable” insulating material, ink for the blind, and an apparatus to help the deaf.
Thomas Edison may not have written any significant literary works, but he was one of the most prolific inventors in American history. He held 1,093 different patents. Edison’s to-do list shows how we can use our own notebooks to warm up our creative muscle.
Here’s what I do. Each morning before diving into my writing projects, I spend some time free writing. Usually, I free write about the writing project I am about to tackle. This helps me get myself into writing mode and avoid procrastination. I list my goals and start working towards them.
You can free write in a Word Document or use a program like Draftin, an easy to use and distraction-free web-based writing interface that allows you to use folders to organize your writing.
5. Use a Writing Notebook to Journal Your Writing Project
John Steinbeck began writing The Grapes of Wrath (affiliate link) in 1938. He thought it would be helpful to keep a daily diary (affiliate link) to record his progress.
He wrote, “I shall try simply to keep a record of working days and the amount done in each and the success (as far as I can know it) of the day. Just now the work goes well.”
The diary helped him spill out his self doubt on paper so he could turn his full attention to his novel.
At one point, he wrote,
So many things to drive me nuts… I’m afraid this book is going to pieces. If it does, I do too… If only I wouldn’t take this book so seriously. It is just a book after all, and a book is very dead in a very short time. And I’ll be dead in a very short time too. So the hell with it. Let’s slow down, not in pace or wordage but in nerves.
You can take a peek into the diary here.
The Morgan Library also has a fascinating podcast of an actor reading portions of the diary.
When Steinbeck wrote East of Eden (affiliate link), he continued his practice of recording his novel’s progress, though this time he did not keep a diary but sent letters (affiliate link) to his editor instead.
Elizabeth George copied Steinbeck’s practice of journaling his novel.
In her book Write Away (affiliate link), she observes,
For the last three or four novels, I’ve copied John Steinbeck’s activity from East of Eden, and I’ve begun every day by writing in a journal, sometimes about the writing I’m doing, sometimes about what’s on my mind at the moment.
So for each novel I now write, I create a new journal entry, but before I do that, I read a day in the last Journal of a Novel for the previous novel. This allows me to see that, whatever I might be experiencing at the moment, I have experienced it and survived it before.
I have adopted Steinbeck’s and George’s practice as well. Although I used to love keeping a physical journal, my days are much busier now, and I find that I can write much faster when I am typing. I journal using an app called Day One that has a simple and elegant interface.
My novel is still in the plotting stages, but journaling each day helps me see that I am making progress. Like Steinbeck, it allows me to rid myself of negative thoughts, and as Elizabeth George wrote, it will be a helpful record when I start working on a second novel.
You can journal any writing project: a novel, a nonfiction book, a new blog. This kind of a notebook helps you avoid repeating mistakes in the future. Reading through your past experiences allows you to see all the steps you took towards accomplishing your goals.
The Takeaway
In Joan Didion’s essay on why she keeps a notebook, she writes, “How it felt to me: that is getting closer to the truth about a notebook…Remember what it was to be me: that is always the point.”
Ultimately, a notebook is a portable laboratory where we can record our own unique perspective on the world, jot down the things in our lives that awaken our Muse, and experiment with new ideas.
As Ray Bradbury observed in his book Zen in the Art of Writing (affiliate link), “We never sit anything out. We are cups, quietly and constantly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.”
Keeping notebooks helps us collect all of the beautiful stuff that we experience in our lives so we can share it with the world.
What is your writing notebook like? Do you keep a physical notebook or use apps on your smartphone and computer? Leave your thoughts in the comments and share this post with someone you would like to inspire.
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Toby says
Davinci wasn’t left handed and Edison only invented patten theft.
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And the earth is flat, and it’s Obama’s fault.
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akbarmontada says
I was wondering if you ever thought of changing the layout of your site?
Its very well written; I love what youve got to say.
But maybe you could a little more in the way of content so people could connect with it better.
Youve got an awful lot of text for only having 1
or two pictures. Maybe you could space it out better?
Erasable Notebook says
Highly appreciate your article and the thought behind it. A small pocket notebook is one of my essentials as I keep on writing whatever I get interested from this world.
REV. E. A. HERNANDEZ says
A cut-in-half check register, a fine old ballpoint pen refill (keep the pen), and my universe becomes yours.
Mahrker says
Hello Nicole, The way you wrote about important of notebooks is awesome. I totally agree for Brainstorm writing notebooks helps a lot with some many ideas that can write and recall. keep up the good work.
Marcia. says
Great article Nicole. Good reminder for me and what a surprise to see the writings of Thomas Edison.
I have a diary by my bed but I don’t write everyday. I think my diary is trying to speak through you, telling me to write everyday.
I’ve read the book “Write It Down, Make It Happen by Henriette Anne Klauser that sparkled my interest in writing. I bought my first diary in 2.011 for my birthday after my mom passed away with cancer. I needed a place to park my thoughts and feelings.
After that I got hooked and I made scrapbook diaries for my niece, nephew and brother. I’m passing on the inspiration and creativity.
The scrapbook diaries that I made for them contains photos, newspapers articles, words of inspiration, prayers, quotes from the bible, greeting cards, postcards, lots of stickers, funny book markers, healthy recipes, cartoons, and I write all the things that I’d like to tell them in a fun diary for them. Sometimes people and young teenagers forget what we try to tell them.
I agree, there’s something about a pen, a paper and your own handwriting.
Thanks for the post.
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Marcia! Thank you so much for your comment. 🙂 Love how you make scrapbook diaries! That is such a wonderful way to preserve memories and special events and anything else you want to pass down. I’m sure your niece and nephew and brother will treasure them. (Also, I haven’t read Write it Down, Make it Happen. Sounds like a great book!)
bob soltys says
Thank you for a fascinating post, Nicole.
Fountain pen and paper, for morning pages – and in a Rhodia No. 12 dotpad that’s always with my camera and me, and lately, in the How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci Notebook / Workbook.
Carrying a notebook is essential for jotting down things that come to mind, and even for drawing, for example the fish in the tank at the doctor’s office.
Ideas flow better from pen to paper, and I’m free of the distractions of email and the internet.
Best wishes for your novel. It’s obvious from the writing in your blog posts that it will be a success.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you so much for your kind words, Bob! I was not familiar with the “How to Think Like Leonardo da Vinci’ notebook. I just looked it up on Amazon, and it looks very cool.
Darya says
Really loved reading this post. I prefer to keep my notes in physical notebooks, I just really love the feeling of pen on paper. Like you, I have a writing routine to start my day. I’ve embarked on Julia Cameron’s The Artist Way and I do the Morning Pages exercise – write 3 pages, by hand, in an 8.5×11″notebook as the first thing you do when you wake up. I absolutely love this exercise to brain dump everything left over from the day before, making notes about weird dreams, or just trying to get myself organised for the day.
Thanks for this round up!
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Darya! Thank you so much for your comment. I really need to get back to keeping a physical notebook. Typing really can’t compare with writing on paper. I do try to journal each morning with a computer app called Day One. Love how you describe it as a brain dump. It helps so much in clearing the brain and helping you focus on your writing for the day. Thanks again for your comment! So nice to “meet” you. 🙂
AH says
To take down random notes I tend to use the Notes app on my iphone. I recently started using Evernote on my computer, so it would make sense to use Evernote on the phone as well. However, I’m still wired to click on the Notes app for adding notes when inspiration strikes. This is an awesome post! And I’m definitely subscribing to your newsletter. I recently wrote a post on journaling, drop by whenever you have the time; http://ahscribbles.com/your-first-step-to-being-a-renaissance-woman/
Nicole Bianchi says
Loved your post! Just left a comment. 🙂 And thanks so much for subscribing. I’m glad you found my blog! It’s so nice to “meet” you. 😀
MaryEllen Miller says
Love this. My notebook looks exactly like the last picture! A red moleskine. I find that my thoughts flow more freely when they are hand written rather than typed. There is something about pen and paper that doesn’t duplicate electronically. My biggest challenge is that many ideas come to me in the shower…..I need a waterproof slate. 🙂
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, MaryEllen! Thanks so much for your comment. That’s so cool you have the same notebook as the picture. I love moleskines – I have a black one. 🙂 So true that there is something special about pen and paper. And I definitely hear you about the waterproof slate. 😉
Jeana (@hotcocoareads) says
This is fascinating! I keep a small notebook in my purse (and one by my reading table) so I can jot stuff down. And sometimes, I love just seeing my own handwriting—not a font!
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you so much, Jeana! 🙂 I love small notebooks and have several of them. Unfortunately, though, I’ve gotten out of the habit of writing in them. But I love what you said about seeing your own handwriting, not a font. This is inspiring me to pick up pen and paper again! 😀
Tony Pfeiffer says
Nicole, this is well written and inspiring! The capture of the notebooks makes this piece personal. Like we are looking over the shoulders. Way Cool!
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Tony! Thanks so much! So happy to hear you found it inspiring. 😀
Ellen Read says
Well done, Nicole, and thank you. I enjoyed reading your post. I especially liked seeing pages from the notebooks of well-known much-loved writers. I pinned a few to my Pinterest boards. I loved also seeing Edison’s notebook and Leonardo da Vinci’s. They were both creative men. Leonardo, a genius!
I used to hand write all my notes. I love notebooks. These days I still hand write some notes but I do use electronic notes too. If I want to write something down while I’m out, I use my iPhone’s Notes. I also take photos. I’m a very visual person and if I see a building or a statue that captures my imagination, I photograph it.
When I writing, each day I keep a record of how many words I write, how many words that brings the total manuscript to and I list the chapters. I do this with every draft and even in to the editing stage. I can see my progression and it helps me by reinforcing that I’m getting enough work done.
I do have Scrivener but I don’t use it to its full potential.
It’s essential to write thoughts and ideas down. Even if I’ve gone to bed and I think of something, I get up and write it down.
Cheers, Ellen
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Ellen! Thank you so much for taking time to read and comment. I am so glad you enjoyed the post. These notebooks are fascinating – I wish I could flip through them and see more pages. 🙂
I use the notes app on my iPhone too. It’s such a quick way to jot down thoughts. I love that you take photos of things that capture your imagination. The novelist Elizabeth George uses a similar technique. I recently read her book Write Away, and she talks about how she’ll visit the place where she wants to set her novels and take lots of photos. Then when she’s writing her novel, she’ll look at these photos to help her describe the setting.
Do you have a target word count for each day and for the entire novel? I need to be very intentional about tracking my progress as well.
And I too need to spend more time taking advantage of all of Scrivener’s features. It’s such a fantastic tool.
Thanks again for visiting the blog! 🙂
Ellen Read says
Hello Nicole. Taking photos is essential for me. I’m a very visual person and when I’m writing I need to ‘see’ every aspect of my location/house etc. When I’m writing the first and second draft, I set a word count of 500. I usually write a lot more, often 2,000 words but I try to be kind to myself. I’m not good at setting a word count for the entire book, not in the beginning. I just write and see where it takes me. For the novel I’m working on at present, I estimated it would probably be about 70,000 – 80,000 words, and it’s 88,000-odd – I’m still editing. So I’m happy enough with that. Cheers, Ellen 🙂
Nicole Bianchi says
Thanks for sharing! 🙂 500 is my minimum word count too, but I usually write much more than that. I like that you don’t set a word count for your book but just wait and see how it unfolds. I’ve found that a short story can turn into a much longer piece and sometimes what I thought would be an interesting idea for a novel can be told in a shorter number of pages. 🙂 Your new book sounds fantastic — you’re inspiring me to take some time to work on mine right now. 😉
Ellen Read says
Thanks, Nicole, and I’m pleased you feel inspired to work on your own book. I think that’s what’s great about sharing our thoughts etc. Cheers, Ellen 🙂
Dolores says
I loved this article, Nicole! How thorough and well done. I loved that you mentioned Charles Darwin in it. Without notebooks I will achieve nothing, since I am deeply connected to the pen or the pencil. The computer blocks my brain. It is great to know that you love Evernote. I downloaded it a while ago but never used it. Maybe I will try it. I use sometimes, but only for short works, an app called Dragon for dictation. It works fine and gets the words correctly. Also loved that you mentioned da Vinci. I am left handed and often write in an awkward order. It is something I don’t think about but I just do. And definitely I need a notebook with me at all times. No exceptions!
Wonderful, wonderful work.
I will wait for my next lesson on writing.
Have a wonderful day,
Dolores
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you so much, Dolores! 😀 I always love reading your comments.
Your notebooks sound wonderful. I need to get back to writing by hand – I mostly just write on the computer, but I miss pen & paper. Thanks for recommending the Dragon app for dictation! I will have to check it out. I spend a lot of time staring at the computer screen so it sounds like that would be a great way to give my eyes a rest. How interesting that you also have a unique way of writing like Da Vinci.
You are so kind. It always makes me so happy to know my posts are being enjoyed. Thank you again! Have a lovely week! 🙂
lovelyn says
A great read! Thank you very much Nicole for sharing these beautiful ideas. You’ve inspired the writer in me.
Nicole Bianchi says
So happy it inspired you! 😀 Thank you so much for your kind words. Do you keep a writing notebook?
Penchie says
I really enjoyed reading this post. I love the idea of keeping a notebook to jot down thoughts, ideas or inspirations which can be used for future articles, stories, blog posts, etc. I keep a journal and I also keep a small notebook in my bag all the time.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank you so much, Penchie! 😀 I’m so glad you enjoyed it. I really find that having these notebooks helps me avoid running out of ideas for my posts. I love how you keep a small notebook in your bag at all times.
David Mike says
I love Evernote so much that I have a hard time writing in a notebook.
Nicole Bianchi says
That’s what happened to me too! 😀 I used to keep physical notebooks but have just found it so much easier and quicker to type things up on the computer or on my smartphone.
Jim Little says
It is remarkable that John Steinbeck could have thought that Grapes of Wrath was “just a book” and that it would die in a very short time. “Just a book” became one of the Canon of American literature as well as a biting social commentary still applicable today.
Nerdy Creator says
I tried using Evernote, but I love my pen and paper too much. So I stop using Evernote. It’s just so much easier to write with pen and paper. I have them near my bed so when inspiration strikes at night, I could scribble something in the dark. I realize light (even from the smartphone) sometimes make me lose my ideas.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thanks for your comment! Yes, often pen and paper is the best way to go for those unexpected moments of inspiration. And I absolutely agree with you about not wanting to stare at a smartphone screen in the middle of the night. I actually wrote a post here about the negative effects of blue light from computer and smart phone screens late at night. I keep a pen and paper next to my bed too!
Jodi Heisz says
I am trying to use Evernote more often, but I always carry a notebook with me. I also find it easier to write after some free writing. Natalie Goldberg’s book, Writing Down the Bones, teaches on how to free write. This post was very informative!
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Jodi! Thanks for commenting and sharing your thoughts. 😀 I find free writing so helpful. That sounds like a fascinating book. I will have to check it out. Thank you for the recommendation!
Patrice says
OMG!! Thank you so much!!! With all the technology going around, I am glad to know there are still some people who love the old school stuff!!
Nicole Bianchi says
Thank so much for your comment, Patrice! 😀 I am so glad you enjoyed the post. Looking at the work processes of famous writers from the past is so inspiring. We can learn so much from them.
Kiki Stamatiou says
I handwrite my thoughts and analysis in a notebook. I also use the Evernote app and Google Doc app on my SmartPhone.
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Kiki! Thanks for your comment! 🙂 I love that you keep a physical notebook and also use computer and smartphone apps. I need to get back to keeping a physical notebook. I really miss writing by hand every day.
Sean says
Great finds. I’m going title my next list “Things doing and to be done” as well!
S.
Nicole Bianchi says
Thanks, Sean! Awesome. I love how Edison titled his list. 😀
Karli says
This is fantastic! You always have something to share that is encouraging and inspiring! I keep a notebook and a journal though neither of them are as consistent as I’d like. The journal is on my computer. I just write about life in general which includes my writing. I like the idea of keeping a journal specific to your novel that tracks progress and helps you get out your frustrations about it specifically! Going to have to try that! Thanks for sharing, Nicole!
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Karli! Thank you so much! 😀 It’s always so encouraging to hear that my posts are inspiring others.
Isn’t Steinbeck’s method fantastic? I really struggle with perfectionism when I write so I think this is a wonderful way to overcome that. It lets me remove all of that fear and self-doubt before I begin working on the novel. It’s also a great place to free write about characters and the plot. And, as Elizabeth George pointed out, I think it will be very helpful in the future as moral support when I start working on a second book. Hope the writing of your novel is going well!
Veronica says
This is beautiful! I love this idea – going through the different writers across a vast period of time and comparing it to now is just amazing. Great post! Awesome read 🙂
Nicole Bianchi says
Thanks so much for your kind words, Veronica! 🙂 I am so happy to hear you enjoyed the post!
I find it so encouraging to see that writers in the past struggled with the same difficulties as writers today. It’s so neat that we can still use their strategies for overcoming those difficulties — just need to update the strategies to fit 21st century technology. 😀
reagan says
Wow, this is so awesome! I love how you compiled all of these famous writers’ notebooks into one post!
I do have a writing notebook! Well, not exactly a notebook. I used to keep it on paper, then I got a laptop, and now it’s a series of word documents that I’ve called “Tidbits”. It’s anything and everything that I write that I wouldn’t show anyone! But it’s where most of my writing ideas have come from.
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Reagan! Thanks so much for reading. 🙂 Your writing notebook sounds fantastic. I have a similar folder on my computer. I like that you call yours “tidbits”. It’s so wonderful to have a space like that where you can write about anything without worries about it being perfect or about others reading it. It really allows your brain to just be as creative as possible. 😀
reagan says
Exactly! 😀
Cynthia P. says
Your post is fantastic Nicole. So many good ideas. Had never heard of apps like Evernote, that sounds great. If you can put in anything you come across online, that would be wonderful. I see so many inspiring things, but you can’t always write them down, it takes too long, then you forget them. Will have to reread some of your ideas, and implement some of them. Thank you for the knowledge you are imparting to others.My problem is I’m not that technology savvy and need to improve that.
Nicole Bianchi says
Hi, Cynthia! So glad you found the post helpful. 😀 Evernote is such a great app, and it’s free! I also love to use it for writing up to-do lists. It’s definitely worth checking out. This is the link about the web clipper feature that lets you save webpages for reading later: https://evernote.com/webclipper/