By Janice Robeson

“Very often, gleams of light come in a few minutes’ sleeplessness, in a second
perhaps; you must fix them. To entrust them to the relaxed brain is like writing on water; there is every chance that on the morrow there will be no slightest trace left of any happening.”

~Antonin Sertillanges

Are you in the habit of taking notes?

I hear it over and over again:

“I seem to remember it better if I write it down.”

There’s something positively reinforcing about writing down what you hear.

Some of us learned the art of note-taking in school or it was a requirement of our job. Any journalist will tell you that notes are an intrinsic feature of the profession. Not only is it smart for your work environment, but it communicates to other people that you care about what someone is saying, that you are willing to learn and are open to other people’s ideas.

Here are some trends I’ve observed that will help with note taking:

1. The process of writing helps solidify the information in your brain.
2. Review your notes soon after taking them—otherwise some things don’t make sense later.
3. Be consistent in what you use to take your notes with—be it ruled notebook or computer gadget.
4. Organize your notes. Separate them into subject headings or by date.
5. Leave spaces between notes.
6. Write on only one side of the paper to maintain readability and to keep the blank side free for any details that may need to be added later.

Devise a system to help you remember categories, such as:

• Important
• For Follow up
• Do more research

Make up your own icons or ask other people what they use. If you take notes at meetings it’s a good idea to use those categories for your notes and file accordingly. Of course you’ll want to add a reminder to your calendar if something is time sensitive.

Here’s something you may not have realized—taking notes can lead to some very creative writing! I’ve learned from other people that it’s imperative to keep some kind of notebook with you at all times if you want to keep your creative juices flowing. You could hear a particular song that would spark a memory of something you want to write about or hear a child say something which to them is completely “normal” but which strikes you as hilarious!

Some of my best ideas have come to me in the middle of the night. So now I have a notepad by my bed that lights up when I pull out the pen to write down my flash of inspiration. The next morning it’s either something I can expound on or it makes no sense at all!

I try to be observant and jot down impressions of things I see or comments people make on the news and even odd ideas that pop up now and then. I like to write poems, and the inspiration doesn’t necessarily come all at once, there might be days or weeks between the beginning and the end of one.

Another idea that has really helped is learning to abbreviate—inventing your own personal shorthand. Write down enough to capture the main point, but don’t try to record every word you hear.

There are lots of note-taking systems; check them out on the Internet to see what might work for you. The main point is to get into the habit of writing things down, because that might be the key that unlocks the door to your creativity.

For more information on note taking, check out these resources:

• http://michaelhyatt.com/2009/08/recovering-the-lost-art-of-note-taking.html
• http://www.mantex.co.uk/samples/note.htm

Janice Robeson is the receptionist at WinePress Group and also handles copyright registration and outgoing mail/shipping. She enjoys becoming acquainted with each WinePress author and hearing their particular story.