How I Finished My Book

I used to keep all my stories in notebooks. There was nothing like buying a fresh notebook, that crisp, untouched paper. The endless possibilities. Even planning out what would go on the very first page was such a delight. I remember it all fondly. But with those notebooks, there comes the problem of where to keep them all. I had at least fifty spiral notebooks shoved into dressers, under my bed, on bookshelves taking up space. And then there was finding the one notebook, the very specific notebook with that scene in it with dialogue I can't quite remember, but the feeling was there.

The switch from notebook to computer was hard. The hardest thing I ever did. I would sometimes type up pages into MS Word, editing along the way, finding fresh ideas to add to the story. Then the most terrible thing happened, and I lost all of it when my computer crashed. Needless to say, I lost trust in my computer. But I couldn't keep holding onto all the notebooks I had because I was moving.

"Take them with you," you're probably shouting.

Well, the problem was that I was moving overseas. This wasn't the first time, either. In fact, every time I had to move across an ocean, I had to downsize my life, and notebooks were becoming harder and harder to keep. (Especially since I kept buying more!)

So I switched over to Google Docs. The cloud was becoming more and more popular and I knew that it would be a lot safer. If my computer crashed, then the cloud would still have all my chapters. In fact, I used Google Docs for nearly a decade as I typed up fanfics and uploaded them onto AO3 and Tumblr and later on Wattpad. Plus, I could do a quick search to find specific details and scenes. Although it was still difficult. Especially since I would change my mind about certain scenes and delete them. They would be gone forever, somewhere in the internet void.

That's when I learned about Notion. I can't quite remember how I stumbled on it. It might have been while I was trying to find a way to organize my Japanese notes. Either way, it opened up an entirely new way for me to think about my novel. I know this is where I'm going to lose some people. The idea of organizing, detailing, keeping notes on a story feels overwhelming and takes the fun out of writing.

"What do you mean I have to plan out my book?"

Trust me, I felt the same way! I just want to write. I just want to explore the world with my characters as they made dumb decisions and fall in love. I completely understand. But, as much as I hate admitting this, keeping my book organized helped me so much. I don't think I would have ever finished without Notion. In fact, I was able to check Notion to find a specific scene, go there and check the details so that I didn't have plot holes strewn throughout my book.

I'm not affiliated with Notion in any way. I don't even think they know I exist. To top it off, Notion is completely free. There are a ton of free templates out there for nearly just about anything you can think of. I even put my recipes on there for quick reference while I'm cooking.

I'll add a link to a free template that I created to help me stay organized. It also gives me a lot of inspiration. I can add whatever pictures I want, face claims, color palettes, everything. It's just like having a notebook except it's on your computer (and your phone) and you can know it's basically safe on the cloud. Make a copy for yourself (don't worry, it'll be completely private) and edit it as much you like.

Notion Template