Idea series – How to use an idea

Is this you?

How do we use Ideas? I’ve always been mystified as to how people actually use their ideas. Some people jot them down and let them rot away and others put it into motion. I personally love putting them into motion, if I didn’t I wouldn’t be here today and I wouldn’t have book I love to rewrite. Life would be pretty dull if I didn’t push further.

So this is where I call you to action. You have an idea. Flesh it out. Get out a pad and some paper (because this works best if you can scribble in the margins) and nut out what this idea is all about. Is it a short story? A poem? Or maybe it’s the start of a melody? Whatever it is hash it out. Some people say that you shouldn’t do this, that you should let it flow naturally but I say screw that. Do what you feel is right. I like to frantically run around putting pieces together in my head and sometimes i forget them, which is why I’m starting to use this notion of writing things down.

If you haven’t, start carrying a notebook around with you, and a pen, because without these you really don’t get anywhere and I want to make sure that you get your pretty little idea out of the way. And if you don’t have time, sit down and download Evernote (it’s free!) and set up an account. Write out your idea on the go without needing to judge bumps in the road or even people crowding you on the train, sometimes that’s not fun.

Jot down dot points, or complete sentences, write out a to-do list of things you want to research and double check. Don’t let the fear of a blank page hold you down.

So you’ve done that? Great. Let me know all about how it went in the comments below.