How Can I Keep My Writing Ideas in One Place Without Losing My Flow?

[Kung Fu Panda Kar]

I’ve noticed that whenever a story idea or a character detail comes to me, I often forget it before I can really use it. Sometimes it’s a line of dialogue, sometimes a plot twist, or even just a fleeting thought about a scene. I’ve tried writing in notebooks or using random text files, but it feels scattered and I end up wasting time trying to find what I wrote earlier. I want a way to keep everything in one place so I can quickly capture ideas without breaking the momentum of my creativity.

I recently started looking at online notepads, and this concept really inspired me positively. For me, an online notepad is basically an accessible notepad for free that I can open in a browser whenever I need to jot down thoughts. It doesn’t require downloads, it’s instant, and I can type anything without worrying about setup. I like that it keeps my ideas together in one place and I can access it from any device, which is really helpful when inspiration hits at random times. It feels like a simple and flexible way to capture everything as it comes without interrupting the creative process.

What I’m trying to figure out is how to actually make this kind of note-taking work for me long-term. How can I capture spontaneous ideas, little flashes of inspiration, or detailed thoughts in one place and then find and use them later when I’m writing scenes or developing characters? I don’t want to overcomplicate things with too many folders or tags, but I also don’t want all my notes to become a jumbled mess that’s hard to navigate.

So, my question is: how do other writers keep all their ideas organized in a single space while still letting themselves be spontaneous and creative? Specifically, how do you use tools like an online notepad to make sure ideas are easy to capture, easy to access later, and useful when you want to develop them into actual writing? I’d love to hear what techniques, habits, or methods have worked for keeping creative ideas from getting lost while still staying flexible and natural in the moment.

 

[skip.knox]

This question gets complicated rather quickly. If you use an online resource, can you access it offline as well? If offline, then you worry about backups. Then there's version control. You have to think about media: physical, electronic, voice. Are you capturing only text or also images, sounds, music, etc.? (etc being very hard to capture <g>).

I can offer one bit of advice up front, then describe what I do, but your mileage will almost certainly vary. First the advice: whatever you choose, you will most assuredly do something different down the road. So, don't fret too awfully much (moderate fretting). Choose something, go with that with the expectation that it will prove deficient in some way, or you will change how you work, or the app on which you relied changes or disappears, rampaging apes will make it all irrelevant (don't ask).

Here's what I do.

Pretty much all goes into paper notebooks. Why? Because they are more portable than anything else, and I can record an idea more quickly there than in any other medium. I've tried. It's also amenable to doodling, daydreaming, sketching, and otherwise wasting time on paper. I date entries, which provides an odd sort of comfort and which has very occasionally proved useful. Also, I've managed to quick quite an impressive collection of notebooks, which only looks impressive because they're physical. No one remarks upon the number of bytes on a drive.

Paper is a dead end, though. I type from the notebook when I have time. My writing is nearly all inside my fictional world of Altearth, so that helps with organization. I have my WIP, plus I have a WorldReference (I use Scrivener for all this, but tools are a topic for another day). After I my notebook has accumulated five or ten or twenty pages (it's very much random), then I enter the notes into the appropriate place: WIP or WorldReference. I also have a separate project titled Ideas, which holds all the strays. I rarely type word-for-word from my notebook but do some light editing as part of the typing process. Also, what I write in the notebook is very much spur of the moment. It's not strictly sequential. On one page there might be some dialog for my WIP, followed by a stray idea concerning my next novel, or some side project. Then a description I could use in the WIP. Then some extensive plotting notes. All very disjointed.

The paper is great because I don't have to be organized there. It can be notes to myself, dialog, narrative, whatever. I'm allowed there not to think about what goes where. But when I type it up, I have predetermined places. The WIP, the Next Project, WorldReference, (stray) Ideas, Some Short Story. You get the picture.

This is far from where I started. I didn't really evolve, still less invest, this process. I backed into it like a novice driver trying to back up a trailer. But for the past few years it has worked pretty well for me.

 

[JBCrowson]

I use Fantasia Archive, which is a free to down load app. It can run entirely on your computer which is how I use it, or you can set it up to be web accessible so you can use it from any computer.
It's aimed at world building for writing / game making / D&D scenario creators. It has built in structure for stuff like geography, history, characters, items, religions, magic to enable you to store stuff and access it easily. Every category can have as many sub categories as you like (eg geography can have sub categories for continents / countries / regions etc.)
It has one section for chapters, lore notes, myths and legends, so you can store little snippets and ideas. If they revolve around a particular person you can add them as a character and then any time you look at that character you can access your notes about them.
I think it will take a bit of overhead to set up, but is useful once you've done that.

 

[Karlin]

I write down ideas in the same WORD document that I am writing the text in. Random thoughts go at the end, comments about the order of things (does the dustpan eat the broom now, or later?) in Italics in the text. This is messy- I don't really recommend this.

 

[Penpilot]

I use Scrivener. It basically it can ball up the story text and all the different notes and odds and ends into one project. I also keep an Idea's Project in Scrivener, where I jot down my story ideas for safekeeping and organization.

Before Scrivener, I used this free program called yWriter for the notes for my individual projects. It has similar functionality to Scrivener, but it's not very pretty. You can write in yWriter, but I used Word. For my ideas file, I used wikipad. It's a personal wiki program. It's free, too.

Otherwise, I jot down notes in my phone and copy and paste into my Ideas file. I sometimes use the google docs app on my phone, but it's rare.

 

[ThinkerX]

For works in progress, I create a 'Work' file that contains scenes and parts of scenes I find interesting but didn't quite fit. Some get reused, some don't. I also maintain a 'Zero' file, essentially an outline, list of names, and ideas.

For works not related to the WIP, I create a sort of 'stub summary,' usually all in one go, and revisit later.

 

[pmmg]

I have a program called minimalist on my phone, that is great for keeping notes. Pretty much a bear bones note taking system.

You could just text the thoughts to your own phone number and have it in your texts.

On my PC, I just save a text document with quick notes, or write them on the bottom of the story.

Truth is, I never really have big story ideas, and then forget them. Maybe small ideas slip by. I do sometimes write them all down in Scrivener, but I've not felt the need to in a long while.

 

[skip.knox]

Before Scrivener, I used this free program called yWriter for the notes for my individual projects. It has similar functionality to Scrivener, but it's not very pretty. You can write in yWriter, but I used Word. For my ideas file, I used wikipad. It's a personal wiki program. It's free, too.

I used yWriter too! Somehow we just never fully clicked and I moved over to Scrivener. It was like yWriter had the right idea but fell short on execution. Once the Windows version of Scrivener came out, I went there and have stayed.

 

[Penpilot]

I used yWriter too! Somehow we just never fully clicked and I moved over to Scrivener. It was like yWriter had the right idea but fell short on execution. Once the Windows version of Scrivener came out, I went there and have stayed.

That's pretty much how things unfolded for me, though, I did buy an old-old Mac for $150, and used that for a year or so just for Scrivener until the Windows version became a reality.

 

[Prince of Spires]

I use Microsoft OneNote for note taking. Anything from worldbuilding to plotting to random thoughts or notes goes in there. I keep a rough sort of organisation in it, with different sections for different types of notes and one page per topic (like a character). A few reason to use it. Firstly, I had it. I have an office subscription (mainly because I need to store all my photo's somewhere...), and that comes with OneNote for free.

Then, I can use it everywhere. Both offline and online. There are mobile versions.

Lastly it works, and I'm fairly certain it will keep working. So far I haven't run into any space issues or things slowing down because files get too big. I also don't have to worry about Microsoft disappearing in the near future, meaning I can likely still access my notes 10 years from now.

 

[A. E. Lowan]

We also use OneNote to keep track of our very large Urban Fantasy series, and basically everything else. If you have Microsoft 365 you already own it. This is what I do with it. This also represents over 20 years of worldbuilding and making pages. I also live and die by posties all over my monitor. Bits of dialogue and other scenelets as they rattle around in my head all get jotted down and then plugged in when I get to where they belong. Note: This can sometimes take years.

The combination is very effective. And the answer as to how do you catch all those ideas? You stop, go to your page where you keep it all, jot down the note, and then get back to work. It's your process, so you'll figure out what works for you, but the critical thing is to find whatever works.

 

[Prince of Spires]

A. E. Lowan I'm now wondering if your Marry Poppins is actually the antagonist of the story. Sort of Gandalf taking the One Ring and turning the whole world into distopian perfection, snuffing out anything that might oppose her.

Also, the chosen one is brilliant

 

[A. E. Lowan]

A. E. Lowan I'm now wondering if your Marry Poppins is actually the antagonist of the story. Sort of Gandalf taking the One Ring and turning the whole world into distopian perfection, snuffing out anything that might oppose her.

Also, the chosen one is brilliant

I can totally see Poppins go rogue and turn betrayer. In the books, she's actually a little sinister. So, another century or two down the line, it would be totally in keeping for her to really be feeling unappreciated and to go looking elsewhere for her services.

And thank you so much! <3 These bits and pieces are exactly what I was talking about the other day when I said ideas are like seeds. Easy to find, tougher to plant and germinate.

 

[Kassandra]

I’ve noticed that whenever a story idea or a character detail comes to me, I often forget it before I can really use it. Sometimes it’s a line of dialogue, sometimes a plot twist, or even just a fleeting thought about a scene. I’ve tried writing in notebooks or using random text files, but it feels scattered and I end up wasting time trying to find what I wrote earlier. I want a way to keep everything in one place so I can quickly capture ideas without breaking the momentum of my creativity.

I recently started looking at online notepads, and this concept really inspired me positively. For me, an online notepad is basically an accessible notepad for free that I can open in a browser whenever I need to jot down thoughts. It doesn’t require downloads, it’s instant, and I can type anything without worrying about setup. I like that it keeps my ideas together in one place and I can access it from any device, which is really helpful when inspiration hits at random times. It feels like a simple and flexible way to capture everything as it comes without interrupting the creative process.

What I’m trying to figure out is how to actually make this kind of note-taking work for me long-term. How can I capture spontaneous ideas, little flashes of inspiration, or detailed thoughts in one place and then find and use them later when I’m writing scenes or developing characters? I don’t want to overcomplicate things with too many folders or tags, but I also don’t want all my notes to become a jumbled mess that’s hard to navigate.

So, my question is: how do other writers keep all their ideas organized in a single space while still letting themselves be spontaneous and creative? Specifically, how do you use tools like an online notepad to make sure ideas are easy to capture, easy to access later, and useful when you want to develop them into actual writing? I’d love to hear what techniques, habits, or methods have worked for keeping creative ideas from getting lost while still staying flexible and natural in the moment.

I feel like this question was branched out to several different questions, and I don't know which one to answer.
1. Even while I was at work, if a random idea popped in my mind, I always had a small notebook and a pen to write it down. Then, went I went home, I organized my notes to wherever they needed to be (plot-related, world building, character stuff, etc). I do end up with many documents at my computer, but at least they're organized. One topic for each document. I don't know how it could work with a notepad - I do everything at my computer at home with Microsoft Word.

2. Regarding being organized with ideas, but also letting ourselves be spontaneous and creative... Well, coming up with an idea is being spontaneous and creative, isn't it? Even if it comes at a moment when we are not actually writing.

3. As for: "How do you use tools like an online notepad to make sure ideas are easy to capture, easy to access later, and useful when you want to develop them into actual writing?" I actually have the documents open at my computer while writing. Especially in the beginning, when I hadn't memorized my protagonist's and MCs' backstories, I needed constant reminders, haha... So, I had the documents with said backstories open, and I would Alt+Tab between documents to make sure I'm not missing anything.
Actually, I eventually bought a bulletin board (the one made of cork) and printed out some basic information about my characters and about storytelling. My world building had too many things to put in the bulletin board, so I simply kept ONE document open at my computer (instead of several of the main characters' backstories).

At some point, after writing for a few weeks, I became so accustomed to my characters and my world, I no longer need to look at my notes.

I'm editing my answer to add something here... If you find yourself having too many ideas to the point of your mind getting lost (for example, forgetting your idea before you can take the notepad out of your bag), you may want to consider emptying your mind for a few minutes throughout the day (this is known as mindfulness - you can find information online). Basically, when our brains are overly active (because of everyday life, too many hours at the computer, the phone, etc), it gets harder and harder to focus and concentrate on anything at all. So, if you believe that a lack of concentration is a problem, try to limit (if possible) the time you spend on these devices, and do mindfulness for a few minutes throughout the day, gradually adding more minutes to it.

 

[minta]

Basically, I have one master doc or online notepad which I will note everything down with ostensible structure at first. Then I will later shift and categorize the ideas per theme or project.

 

[xena]

I’ve noticed that whenever a story idea or a character detail comes to me, I often forget it before I can really use it. Sometimes it’s a line of dialogue, sometimes a plot twist, or even just a fleeting thought about a scene. I’ve tried writing in notebooks or using random text files, but it feels scattered and I end up wasting time trying to find what I wrote earlier. I want a way to keep everything in one place so I can quickly capture ideas without breaking the momentum of my creativity.

I recently started looking at online notepads, and this concept really inspired me positively. For me, an online notepad is basically an accessible notepad for free that I can open in a browser whenever I need to jot down thoughts. It doesn’t require downloads, it’s instant, and I can type anything without worrying about setup. I like that it keeps my ideas together in one place and I can access it from any device, which is really helpful when inspiration hits at random times. It feels like a simple and flexible way to capture everything as it comes without interrupting the creative process.

What I’m trying to figure out is how to actually make this kind of note-taking work for me long-term. How can I capture spontaneous ideas, little flashes of inspiration, or detailed thoughts in one place and then find and use them later when I’m writing scenes or developing characters? I don’t want to overcomplicate things with too many folders or tags, but I also don’t want all my notes to become a jumbled mess that’s hard to navigate.

So, my question is: how do other writers keep all their ideas organized in a single space while still letting themselves be spontaneous and creative? Specifically, how do you use tools like an online notepad to make sure ideas are easy to capture, easy to access later, and useful when you want to develop them into actual writing? I’d love to hear what techniques, habits, or methods have worked for keeping creative ideas from getting lost while still staying flexible and natural in the moment.

Basically, I have one master doc or online notepad which I will note everything down with ostensible structure at first. Then I will later shift and categorize the ideas per theme or project.

That is a nice idea.

 

[minta]

That is a nice idea.

You are welcome