A writer's notes

   

     "A notebook is a repository of failed attempts and experiments, of thwarted intentions that may or may not turn into unexpected successes ... Who knows what will prove a dead-end and what the inspiration or material for a book?

    Whatever size the notebook, it accumulates its value slowly, line by line and page by page as it fills with notes. Some sets of notes take on a life of their own. Others give them up for the greater good of a book, or a story, or an article. You never know what will prove useful or useless, which gives a notebook a strange and numinous importance. Something jotted down in two minutes might occupy you for the next three years... A whole notebook might potentially contain the rest of your writing life."

    That's Lawrence Norfolk (he of the great John Saturnall's Feast) on notebooks - do read the rest of his piece here.

Comments

[Freda]

I've just been reading that Dodie Smith wrote a 100,000 word notebook about the progress of her novel I Capture The Castle (I don't know how many words the book is!)Thanks for the interesting link.

[Ann]

Thank you for the link. I love this line: "Whatever size the notebook, it accumulates its value slowly, line by line and page by page as it fills with notes." Beautiful!

[Cornflower]

I should think the book is shorter than the notebook, but how interesting!

[Cornflower]

I think so too.

[Belle]

Ditto. It is a haunting line for those of us who have shelves and drawers full of notebooks.