A Writer’s Notebook
Adapted from A Writer’s
Notebook—Unlocking the Writer
Within You by Ralph Fletcher
A writer’s notebook is NOT
a diary!
• Writers react.
• Writers need a place to record these reactions.
• A writer’s notebook is a place to record these
reactions.
• Your notebook is a place to write down what
makes you angry, sad, and amazed, and to write
down what you don’t want to forget.
• Your notebook is a place to live like a writer!
What should I do with my
notebook?
• Write!
• You get to decide what goes in your notebook.
• Be observant and look for things that inspire,
fascinate, or puzzle you.
• Do you have stories rumbling around in your
head that you want to write down?
• Explore these questions and ideas in your
notebook.
“Writing Small”
• Jot down details you notice or hear. Start
to train yourself to notice details around
you-use all your senses.
• Try to start using more explicit and
descriptive words and use fewer vague or
general words.
“Seed Ideas”
• Use your notebook to write down ideas
that may later “sprout” into a final piece of
writing. When you think of something you
might want to write about, jot it down.
• At some point you may want to go back to
that idea, and work with it or combine it
with another idea.
• Be patient-don’t expect your ideas to grow
too fast! Give them time!
“Mind Pictures”
• Start to train yourself to use your senses to
help you picture your world. Use all five
senses like a camera and capture the
images you see around you.
• Be honest, open, and thorough in your
descriptions.
“Dreams”
• You can get into the habit of
writing down your dreams
before you forget them.
“Snatches of Talk”
• Writers are interested in what people say,
how they say it, why they say what they do,
what words they hear, how they are
pronounced or mispronounced.
• Notebooks can be filled with dialogue.
• Train yourself to be an observant listener.
“Lists”
• Some writers like to keep lists of favorite
books, movies, or other writing projects.
• Keep a special part of your notebook for
your favorite words or phrases, unusual
words, new words, or interesting words.
“Memories”
• Some people say that memories are the
more important to a writer than anything
else.
• Explore your own memories and your
feelings connected to them.
• Think about not only what happened but
also how it affected you then, and how it
affects you now.
“Scrapbook”
• A picture, a newspaper article, or a copy of
someone else’s writing might inspire you
to write.
• You can use your notebooks to collect
important things from your life that you
might want to write about.
“Rereading: Digging out
the Crystals”
• Re-read your notebook and look for the
intriguing, interesting, and original pieces.
• What ideas keep coming back over and
over in your notebook?
• Look for those sprouts that may become
flowers!
Notebook Checklist
-taken from The Writing Workshop by Katie Ray.
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Keep your notebook with you at all times.
Date every entry.
Do not skip pages.
All drawings should have writing with them.
Number the pages.
Write daily.
Vary your topics.
Care for your notebook.
Make sure there is evidence of what you’re
learning in your notebook.