Quantum Storytelling

For years I juggled text files, and jumped from program to program seeking the perfect note-taker. I eventually settled on Yahoo Notepad, but was forever annoyed by its interface and inability to share notes.

Then Google came out with Google Notebook, and all my problems were solved. Here are ten reasons writers should use Google Notebook:

1. With the plugin for Firefox, clipping web items is only two clicks away. Requires Firefox.
2. Access your notes from any computer with access to the internet.
3. Share your notes with others or add a friend for collaboration.
4. Unlimited notebooks.
5. Easily organized with section tabs.
6. Can store images too!
7. Much more friendly than Yahoo Notepad, or Evernote.
8. Better than having 10,000 text files cluttering up your computer.
9. Folks over at Writer Unboxed have been caught using Google Notebook!
10. It’s free!

Check it out.

One of my stories begins in Detroit, Michigan. I’ve been using Google Earth to lend a little accuracy, areas, street names, locations. Do you use Google Earth in developing or writing your story?

I’ve been using 3×5 note cards for a while now. The biggest benefit is being able to distill scenes or ‘beats’ onto individual cards, forcing me to work in manageable chunks and not get distracted by other parts of the story. Note cards are also easy to shuffle.

But there is one downside that I’ve been fighting; Note cards require a lot of space to lay out flat and get the bird’s eye view of the story. It is also physically difficult to cross-reference characters, places, or historical events within your note cards without the use of stickers, highlighters, or some system of special markings. Managing note cards and their associated materials becomes a task in itself.

This means when you set aside time to work on your story, and begin laying out the note cards it’s more like a big event — out come the stickers, highlighters, pencils, erasers, extra note cards. It’s like dumping out your basket for a full blown craft session. If you enjoy that kind of exhaustive ritual, more power to you. But if you’re like me, you value space, efficiency, and effective use of time not spent wrangling all these physical materials then you’re in luck.

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