Pagsulat ng Kuwento 101 (Published under PSICOM PUBLISHING)

Keeping track of Ideas

Kung wala tayong kawala sa nakapalibot na mga idea o spark na tinatawag, how are we going to keep track of them?

Isa sa pinakaluma (at pinakabinabalewala) ang tip na ito sa bawat writing sites at writing books:

Note down your ideas.

Sa ilang mga kadahilanan (bukod sa bilib sa sariling memorya), maraming manunulat ang hindi sinusunod ang tip na ito. But if we want to keep track of ideas and story triggers, here are a few tips:

1. Write it down using pen and paper.

Ugaliing magdala ng memo pad, notepad, notebook, o anumang komportable kang sulatan. Ugaliing magdala ng ballpen, sign pen, lapis, o anumang komportable kang ipansulat. When an idea strikes, jot it down.

Mas nakatutulong kung mayroon kang iisang notebook, notepad, o sulatan na para lang talaga sa mga ideas na natatalisod natin. That way, mas madaling balikan at pasadahan ang mga ito.

2. Write it down using sticky notes.

Kung hindi komportable sa memo pad o tickler o notebook o notepad na puwedeng maging loose leaf (ang loose leaf ay delikadong mapunit, mawala, maitapon, etc); kung pinoproblema ang organization of ideas kapag ibabanghay na ito bilang isang kuwento, baka mas trip mo ang sticky notes gaya ko.

Sticky notes are removeable so if you finally want to sort all your ideas, you can do so with ease.

3. Write it down using your gadget.

Kung mas prefer ang digital records at moderately to overly attached ka sa cell phone, you can jot down your ideas using your phone. Kung walang notepad sa phone, you can download several note applications and writing applications.

Warning: Kung maraming distractions sa gadget at walang hanggan ang popping out ng notifications sa social media accounts mo, posibleng mawala ang ideya bago pa ito maisulat.

4. Record the idea using a voice recorder.

If you want digital records but you're too lazy to type, too busy to type, or just unable to type, you can use your phone's audio recorder. Ang isang advantage nito ay para ka nang nakikipag-brainstorm sa phone mo habang idinadaldal ang story idea. Kailangan lang nito na malaki ang memory ng phone storage.

Mayroon na ring mga application ng voice-to-text recorders, pero limitado pa lang sa English language.

5. Record the idea using social media.

If you're a social-media person na ever present sa Facebook, Twitter, Messenger, etc., you can make use of your accounts to record your ideas.

Puwede kang gumawa ng isang facebook group where you can post your ideas and save online links of interesting reads and data. This is especially helpful if an idea springs from reading certain posts, status, articles, or pages.

Puwede ring i-post ang idea sa Facebook timeline at i-set ang privacy into "Only Me", kung sakaling ayaw mong mabasa ito ng iba.

If you're more comfortable with Messenger and Twitter, you can message your idea to your trusted person, your brainstorm buddies, or your pseudo-account or dummy account (if you have one). Puwede ring voice message kung ayaw mong mag-type.

The point is to do something to note and keep the idea.