The Sticky Note of Doom isn't really as bad as it sounds. I was just having trouble deciding what to call this post. I suppose I should back up and explain before talking about my sticky notes. My friends and I were trying to motivate ourselves during our community college days and one friend in particular came up with the idea of naming things to make them more awesome. With little imagination and a lot of things that needed awesome new names, one phrase came up more than any other and I bet you can guess which friend suggested it. So the ...blank... of DOOM became the title we gave anything that needed a pick me up. Because DOOM was so much cooler than anything else, at least in my friend's opinion.
So the Sticky Note of Doom was born, so was the Binder of DOOM and the Cleaner of DOOM. There was just a lot of Doom going on, and it was awesome. The phrase has stuck with my circle of friends and will probably be around for a very long time.
Now, back to what I had intended to talk about; the perks of being a writer, sticky notes... and all those little odds and ends that make writing, and editing, a blast.
There is nothing I love so much as buying school supplies, as my desk drawers can attest! I am hooked. Luckily the shopping gods have set up a time that I can indulge in my obsession without breaking the bank; it's called BACK TO SCHOOL. Yes, I know. I am, technically, not in school, and I don't even have kids to justify my purchases to the cashier, but who cares?!?! I have ten notebooks for a dollar, pens to see me through the year and more sticky notes than anyone has every seen. I'll use them all too!! supplies are the best, and having the right stuff makes me feel accomplished and organize while working on my writing and subsequent drafts.
I like typing on the computer, but I'd rather edit in hard copy. I get my manuscripts printed out at my local Staples. They even make it possible to submit your project on-line, which saves me from having to make an extra trip into town to drop off my Flash drive. Printing can be difficult, especially if you have some creative fonts, but there is nothing like see your work printed, double sided and spiral bound. The spiral binding only costs a few dollars and it helps keep the manuscript in order.
I go through my draft, with my sticky notes and labels, to mark things like chapter headings, important events for quick reference, and any sections I have issues with, most recently trying to decide on the type of font for written letters and texts inside my fantasy novel. With these references I can look up a plot point a lot faster than having to flip through the whole thing.
One time I used these new see-through sticky notes to keep track of how many days the Heroine's journey was taking. While you think your character is gone a week, you may have only talked about a few days or taken a month to get where you intended. My Heroine was visiting another continent and was supposed to stay for several months, but the original time-line was only a few weeks. The notations helped me keep my time-line straight.
It's little things like spiral binding and see through sticky notes that help make writing so much easier. I enjoy all the little bits that help me organize my work and make editing fun.
What makes writing fun for you? Do you have a favorite pen? A must have card stock? A secluded spot where creativity lives? Do you have your own version of the Sticky Notes of Doom?
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