How to be a dinosaur

I’m an analog girl in a digital world. (Just to mix metaphors.)

First: that great idea I’ll never ever forget—will be forgotten within seconds. So do I slot the idea into my phone like everyone else? No. I keep blank paper around: a pile by my bed (many notes unintelligible in the morning), in my purse, on the coffee table (movies inspire ideas), etc. In the middle of a shower, I might yell to hubby to jot something down.  

Then at some point (in writing, not showering) I lumber around like a big ol’ dinosaur to pull it all together. [See image.] 

I either worry that my ideas sitting in little bits of paper can be lost, or that my ideas sitting in the laptop/phone can be lost . . . Anyone hear me?

Anyway, it took twenty-five drafts of book 1 just to understand the characters, plot, themes, etc. And another dozen to finish the d**n book.

My goal for book 2 is to be more efficient and create half the number of drafts for completion.  

Yes, I’ve studied the apps designed to facilitate this organization and process. But being a dinosaur, I continue to operate best with real paper. (That sentence makes no sense at all. Dinosaurs have no opposable thumbs and . . . nevermind.) 

And don’t burn my house down when you learn this: I print out a physical copy of all but the final drafts for editing. 

To be continued . . .