Novel Update 04

You can call me the Sticky-Note Queen. No really, go ahead.

I try not to work too much on weekends, so I have time to spend with my family. But the truth is that while I’m away from the computer, my mind never really stops working. Thus, the importance of sticky notes.

I use them all the time when I’m researching for a book. On my desk there are a few stacks of them. One stack is seven long, spread over the face of my desk about two inches from my mouse. It’s BIG ideas for my this novel. Plot ideas. Character ideas. Theme ideas. I jot them down and keep them in front of me at all times.

I also use sticky notes when marking my books. With books I own, I underline them and/or highlight them like crazy. Then I use sticky notes to mark my place. (Sticky notes work better than bookmarks I’ve learned because my books often get moved by others . . . including the preschoolers of the teen moms I mentor, who aren’t as careful as they should be!)

I always use sticky notes for library books. I’ve learned to use the small size (1 inch x 1 inch) and stick them in the margin. I often jot a note on the sticky. Then, because the book is usually overdue, I photocopy the pages for reference.

You can find sticky notes in my bathroom, on my nightstand, in the kitchen, etc. I’ve also decided I like them better than notebooks because when I’m done with them, I just crumple them up and throw them away.

I also use sticky notes for personal reminders (go by library and bank, pick up onions and milk at grocery store). And I use them for spiritual reminders too. Currently, I have three sticky notes that have been on my desk for about a year (and thus aren’t really sticky because I keep moving them and reading them).

One is a prayer, and two are Scripture verses.

Prayer:
God, I thank you that You and what You’ve provided for me are sufficient for Your purposes for me! (This is a prayer I can pray for every situation from raising kids to finding the exact novel research I need.)

Scripture:
And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord. Luke 1:45

and

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it! 1 Thess. 5:23-24

I’d love to hear how you use your Sticky Notes!