I use notebooks when I'm writing. I'm on my third book for the Paladin League series because I wrote so many notes.
Before I start writing a book, I make notes on threads I need to remember to incorporate. Notes on the hero and heroine and other characters making appearances. Notes on what I think is going to happen in this book to move the series arc forward.
I'm not a complete seat-of-the-pants writer, but I definitely lean more on that side of the line, so I've usually managed to surprise myself in earlier books. The really cool thing is when those surprises work as plot points in later books because they weren't planned. The plotter writers are probably cringing right now.
Once a book is underway and I'm actually writing it, I write in my notebook scene to scene. What needs to happen here? Why? What does my hero think? What does the heroine think? How is this moving either the plot or the romance or both forward?
I call this notebooking and when I'm messaging with my friends, autocorrect is so unhappy with me.
Notebooking totally should be a word! It completely and succinctly explains exactly what I'm doing. I am notebooking. Even as I'm writing this blog post, the word notebooking is underlined in red because it's not a word. It is to me, and I am going to use it even if those red lines make me insane. Even if I have to fight autocorrect every time I do it. Notebooking, notebooking, notebooking!
It should be a word.
