And the answer was: “I made him up, Daddy-O.” Creative thinkers of all stripes know that it’s not really about having ideas … it’s about capturing and developing ideas. First, let’s talk about paper Obviously Copyblogger Media is known for digital products and services. But the THINKERS Notebook is a real-world, paper object. I’ve used paper notebooks for many years to develop and organize my ideas. There’s something about slowing down and putting ink on a page that helps ideas become richer and more complex. Now, let’s talk form factor THINKERS has some nice design elements that make it work particularly well for idea generation, capture, and development. The format blends lined columns with a dot grid, a nice framework for drawing diagrams or other visual components. And the paper is nice. Ultra-fine point Sharpies — a favorite of many creative folks — work just great, though. You can pre-order notebooks here, as well as get more details about how THINKERS Notebooks are put together.
My husband once had the chance to ask novelist James Ellroy where he got the idea for one of his fiendish criminal characters. And the answer was:
“I made him up, Daddy-O.”
Creative thinkers of all stripes know that it’s not really about having ideas … it’s about capturing and developing ideas.
Capturing them, because ideas have a way of drifting out the window unless we can capture them as they fly past.
And developing them, because raw ideas are a long way from finished work.
One of our founding partners, Sean Jackson, has been a student of ideas for many years. He’s fascinated by how we can be more intentional in our thinking, and how ideas get developed into finished work.
And he’s just launched a Kickstarter for a nifty new project, the THINKERS Notebook.
When he sent me one and asked if I wanted to talk about it with the Copyblogger audience, I said yes right away. And here’s why.
First, let’s talk about paper
Obviously Copyblogger Media is known for digital products and services. But the THINKERS Notebook is a real-world, paper object.
And I’m a big fan of that.
I’ve used paper notebooks for many years to develop and organize my ideas. There’s something about slowing down and putting ink on a page that helps ideas become richer and more complex.
And even though I’m a really fast typist, nothing beats the immediacy of scribbling words on paper, using arrows or circles or lines to connect them, and maybe even making a tiny drawing or diagram.
(Mind-mapping software feels unbearably slow, limited, and clumsy to my pen-and-ink-oriented brain.)
And finally, like many writers, I am a longtime pen geek. More about that later.
I have a shelf full of physical notebooks that I’ve kept over the years, jam-packed with ideas and lists.
The only problem?
I have to turn around and type those notes and ideas into Evernote or another digital system if I want to organize them for future reference, or to share or collaborate with…
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