What do you do when...

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

you have an idea, and no way of writing it down and know you'll end up forgetting it? I am trying to battle this myself and have found it very hard to try and remember something that I was thinking of during work. (To which I don't have too much time, when these come to me, during work to actually write them down had I have the resources.) But alas, I'm sure this isn't to big a matter for someone like EUOL who runs around and writes, or SE who is mostly at a computer and can get them down by having Word open (I'm assuming, if I'm wrong SE do correct me).

But what of youse guys who have the time of me do you do to deal with this?

[stacer]

Do you have a post-it handy at work? Any scrap of paper to write on during your break? Even if you just write down a few words, it might jog your memory later.

[fuzzyoctopus]

In all seriousness, this is my largest drawback. My ideas come all at once in a flurry.

To combat this problem, saved my money and have purchased a digital voice recorder.  It will arrive in about a week.

I'll let you know.

[Archon]

     Another idea, and I know it sounds childish, but it is better than losing a potentially good idea, is to write it on your hand, or if you want to hide it, somewhere on your arm that is hidden by your shirt. If you have a post it, by all means go with stacers suggestion but if you don't this one works.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

long before I started using Keynote, I was keepign a notebook. I always have one of those marble composition notebooks and a pen to write down ideas. I do transfer them to an electronic file later.

My biggest problem is when I get ideas during my 45 minute commute. I don't have anywhere to write it down at that point, for while my notebook is with me, I can't write while driving. in that case, i try just to repeat the idea over and over in my mind, hoping it'll still be there when I stop. It doesn't always work, and I've lost at least two good ideas this week to it. A voice recorder might solve this problem, since I can talk and drive at the same time.

[stacer]

Yeah, I second the notebook thing. I have kept one for several years. But I think you said that your job is moving dairy products? Perhaps a little 2"x3" spiral notebook in your back pocket with a tiny pen or pencil would work, with which you can scribble quick notes and then transfer them to your computer later when you're at home.

[Lieutenant Kije]

The write it on your hand idea sounds like the most doable if time is a real issue.  Alls you need is a pen.  You can even just jot a keyword down that will jog your memory when you need to recall it all later on.  Just writing down keywords works wonders for me.

[EUOL]

I have pulled over in the car on the freeway (well, I went to an exit) to write down ideas.

I have gotten up four hours after going to bed, turned on my computer, and written down ideas.

I have gotten out my PDA and started writing during the middle of a Sunday-school class--drawing a comment from the teacher about my ‘studiousness for taking notes on gospel topics'--to write down writing ideas.

Carry a small notepad with you.  Doesn't have to be big, just use the same one.  If an idea comes to you, stop whatever you're doing--conversation, eating, no matter what--and write it down.

That's my advice.  Terry Brooks has different advice--he says he's stopped writing down ideas.  He figures if it was a good enough idea in the first place, it would persist and he would remember it.  Of course, he's had thirty years or so to train himself to think like a writer.

[fuzzyoctopus]

 Terry Brooks has different advice--he says he's stopped writing down ideas.  He figures if it was a good enough idea in the first place, it would persist and he would remember it.

With the really important ideas I find that to be usually true, it's dialouge I have this huge problem with. I'll get a scene in my head and the dialouge will just all start coming at once like I'm listening to a conversation in my head, and I can't type fast enough let alone write it by hand.  And my shorthand is teh suck.

So I hope this new gadget will help me. If nothing else at least I will have a cool new gadget.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

the problem is, (besides the fact that I'm not Terry Brooks and I'd love to be) that I want my little ideas too. and even when they are big ideas, i don't always have time to think about them as much as they deserve unless I write them down, and that means I might forget them. What REALLY makes me mad is when I come up with the solution to a problem and don't get it down, and then forget it. grr...

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

I have usually, at work, just taken out the pen I always try to carry in my pocket and find some sort of paper to write it down while I'm working. Although EUOL, if I were to just stop what I were doing and write it down, then all hell would break loose and there would be yogurt everywhere, or boxes falling over each other, or cottage cheese flying into the abyss that is 1st floor! But yeah, that's not too good while I'm at work.

Fuzzy, I was having one of those conversation things in my head during work.

[Spriggan]

I do nothing, I happen to remember things like this very well.  I usealy can remember for several days or weeks on ideas I don't think over much.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

And that is why us, as writers, will loathe you.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

ok, ARGH (to resurrect this thread)

I lost another idea on my way to work.
Maybe I just need to start pulling over and writing it down. Or maybe I can get a cheap voice recorder and do that.  *grumble, grumble*

[42]

I get ideas while driving all the time. Perhpas this is why I'm such a bad driver.

I try to repeat the idea in my mind several times until I get a chance to write it down.