Blog Topic Forgetfulness

I come up with topics for blogs at the strangest times – when I’m walking my dogs, when I’m taking a shower, when I’m cooking dinner, etc.  My mind wanders quite easily, and every so often I’ll stumble across a subject I’m interested in and will say, “That sounds like a great topic for a post.”

Long ago, I learned that my memory is terrible, so I had to take to writing down the topics I came up with as soon as I could.  Sure, I used to tell myself that I would remember that topic later, but I always failed when I sat down and stared at a blank screen.  Therefore I knew I had to write them on my notepad just as soon as possible.

I have a regular notepad next to my computer, and I write my topics down on this.  As I get through each topic, I scratch it off my list and move to the next one.  However, being as forgetful as I am, there have been times when I’ve looked down at the title of a post and asked, “What the hell did I mean by that?”

Lots of the subjects of the posts are obvious by what I wrote down – Indie Versus Traditional, Outlining, Novel Update, etc.  Unfortunately, some of what I write down isn’t always as clear.  I looked at one that said “Happy Procrastination” recently and spent 15 minutes wracking my brain to figure out what I meant by that.  Another one, simply entitled “Complacency,” also threw me for a loop when I couldn’t remember if I was talking about personal complacency or the complacency of traditional publishers.

So how does one solve this issue?  For me, if the title isn’t readily apparent, I have to jot down a note or five next to the topic to spur my memory.  Yes, it makes my sheet messier, but it saves me aggravation when it comes time to sit down at the computer to write.  Given the already prickly nature of my personality, anything that staves off such stuff can only be good, right?