Keeping a Journal

Posted by Elizabeth Yetter Jun 15, 2006

Keeping a journal or a simple pocket notebook is an important step for generating and finding new topics and stories to write about. For example, I keep a pocket notebook with me at all times to write down things my children say and the snippets of conversations I hear when walking through stores or the local park. I never know when I might hear something unusual, and I know that by the time I get home I will forget what it was I had heard.

The snippets I write, the brief idea jots, are important. Whenever I sit down and wonder what to write about, I go through my notebooks and personal journals. There's always an idea there that I can use or rework for an article or book.

If you want to write for children, the first step is to be around children. Listen to what they say to each other. Jot down their conversations. Write out their strange ideas and actions, no matter how trivial they may seem. These writings will provide you with feedback as to how children act and how they think.