Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Why I never throw writing notebooks away

Actually, I do throw writing notebooks away. One's in the trash right now. But I looked through it very carefully first.

Because the other day, I was flipping through an old writing notebook--one of those el cheapo spiral notebooks they sell at Walmart for a dime each around August--and I discovered part of a story that I hadn't yet typed. I typed it up and went through the rest of the notebook, and found two key scenes from a WIP novel that had likewise never made it from the page to the computer screen. And this notebook was from early October! If I'd thrown it away, those scenes would have been lost forever.

Still no word from any editors, good or bad. Hey, it's supposed to snow overnight! Maybe a whole inch!

6 comments:

Aaron Polson said...

I'm too frightened to look in my old notebooks.

Carrie Harris said...

I still don't understand how you can write longhand. I occasionally brainstorm with notebooks or write the occasional poem, but whole scenes? Urk. The mind boggles.

K.C. Shaw said...

I'm frightened not to look. Although I do get rid of them after I'm sure they're all typed up and saved. Old writing = ick.

K.C. Shaw said...

Carrie--wow, we posted at the same time! I like writing longhand now and then, but mostly I do it at work (ahem) where I can't really open up my laptop and type. :)

Jamie Eyberg said...

I can't read my handwriting so i don't even bother longhand.

K.C. Shaw said...

No one else can read my handwriting unless I make an effort. I like it that way--as long as I can read what I've written.