Word processing and web technology is great. It allows ANYONE to produce produce professional looking manuscripts and pages. However, they may not be the best tools for the early stages of session preparation. Sometimes all the bells and whistles, not to mention the potential distraction of the internet, can hinder the creative process.
This article will be a love letter to the old school physical notebook, my preference for starting the planning process. I will look at the general advantages of a physical notebook (I like the marble kind with the stiff back), and how it fits into my method of session prep. In the spirit of fairness, we’ll look at some of the limitations of a physical notebook as well.
General Advantages
Notebooks are cheap and portable (except for those 18 dollar hoity-toity kind). You can write in them anywhere and at anytime. You’d be surprised how many off moments there are in a given day when you can write. Waiting for Junior to finish the piano lesson? Jot down a quick encounter or create an NPC. You can even use it during times when it would seem bad to have your cellphone out. Make it look like you are so interested that you are taking notes. (Seriously, though, don’t do this when you are supposed to be doing your work or paying attention in class. You need to eat too.) You can add a quick sketch of a map in a physical notebook much easier than you could on a phone or tablet.
And it never needs recharging.
The Method
Here’s one suggested method for session prep using a notebook.
Brainstorm – These pages look horrible, but are absolutely essential to the process. Jot down any idea that comes to mind. Consider loose plot threads for the last session, under-utilized NPC’s, character backgrounds, classes and goals. And don’t forget to include a few things that you’d really enjoy including as well. Cross out, draw arrows, make a big mess.
Rough Outline – Once an idea has presented itself, try to wrangle it into a rough outline of probably encounters/scenes.
Refined Outline – This second outline is critical. Try to put things in better order, develop the ideas a little more. In fact, in a pinch, one could even run a session from the Refined Outline.(Truth time: I’ve had to do this more than once. Real life and all that.)
First Draft – Writing it out long-hand may seem like a slow process. After all, most of us can type faster than we can write. However, the slower process is a feature, not a bug. It slows us down so we can think about the ideas in more depth.
Second Draft – Consider handwriting a second draft if you have time. (I did that for this article.) That way when you finally sit down at the computer, you can simply transcribe your notes and clean everything up. It actually reduces my time at the keyboard in the long run.
Limitations
A physical notebook won’t work for everyone, and that’s fine. Some folks may have unclear handwriting which makes it impractical. Others may have physical concerns which require adaptive technology. And sometimes even people who love their notebooks just don’t have the time to use them. Deadlines loom and sometimes you just have to bang it out at the keyboard and hope for the best.
And you might lose a notebook. Keep your eye on those 18 dollar ones, already.
Concluding Thoughts
A recent study showed that taking notes by hand is much more effective than typing them into a laptop. I suspect the same may be true for session prep. Using a notebook may help you slow down and turn things over in your mind a bit more. Even if you use only digital technology the process of writing several outlines and drafts can only improve your sessions.
How about you? Do you use a physical notebook? Is there a piece of technology that mimics this for you? Am I the only dinosaur still roaming the earth? Tell us below. (But be gentle, we dinosaurs are sensitive.)
I only wish, but the mystery arthritis in my right hand and wrist makes prolonged writing pretty unpleasant. Typing isn’t much of a problem, so now I’m even more computer-tethered than I was before.
Sorry to hear Mr. Flibble. Whatever works for you, though, is great.
I tend to mix and match my tech. When I’m putting pen to paper I’m typically using a fountain pen. But when it comes time to go to the keyboard I use my Chromebook.
I tend to combine the two at the table these days, taking notes from the current session with pen and paper. Afterwards, I type them into Evernote, then they are easily searchable as I’m running. Plus I can access my Evernote account on any of my devices (Chromebook, Android tablet, or Android phone).
“The name of that innkeeper two towns back? Let me look…”, I’m just a quick search away from all those little details I used to have to flip through pages of notes to find.
Sure, I eventually get most of it to digital too. Just like to start with analog. Thanks for the comments (and to the other posters as well.)
Evernote… YES! Get it if don’t have it.
Good article!
I’m a hybrid, as well.
I brainstorm, outline and first draft by hand. Second draft is usually on the PC, and final draft goes on PC.
I keep notes by hand while running the game.
For me, writing by hand also enters the info into my long term memory. Typed info evaporates from my mind almost as fast as I can enter it. If (probably when) I get arthritis, I well be a much less happy and effective GM, I expect.
I agree, typed stuff does NOT stick as well as handwritten stuff. Here’s a link to an article about that study:
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/a-learning-secret-don-t-take-notes-with-a-laptop/
I’m a hybrid tool user, too. It’s all about the strength of each tool. Old fashioned pen and paper is better for ideas I’m jotting down in rough fashion. I can put a phrase anywhere on the page, trivially draw arrows connecting things, circle or highlight what needs attention, etc. A word processor is better for when ideas have taken structure because structure is what it’s about: even lines formatted for linear consumption.
BTW, I love my $18 engineering notebooks. I don’t use them for RPGs, though, just for my engineering work. 😉
If I’ve got a decent idea of what I want to do, I usually jump into typing it in the episode notes I use to run the game. I’ve been using a laptop since the mid-’90s as my notebook/screen/multimedia presentation device for gaming. However, if I’m spitballing ideas, doing some research, or building NPCs, I usually will do this in the ol’ 5-subject notebook (thin ruling, please!)
I’ve been starting to shift to the iPad for running games, but it depends on how many character sheet lists, etc. I have to access quickly. For our Battlestar Galactica game, there’s such an array of character and ship profiles, in addition to the plot notes that I need the multitasking of the laptop. But for more simple notes with a few NPCs scattered throughout, as I do in Atomic Robo or Hollow Earth Expedition games, I find the iPad is better, especially for presenting maps that can be drawn on, or show pictures of people or things…
I admit… I am the hoity-toity notebook purchaser. I also have an unhealthy obsession with stationary in general. I love my Moleskine’s and tell everyone I meet to buy them.
As for my technique I go right into the notebook and start writing. Rarely does it ever make it to digital. When it does it is typically a scan of my work.
While gaming I usually have three small sized notbooks at my elbow. One is for stats of upcoming NPCs and monsters. Another is the actual scenario/adventure I have written, usually only two facing pages (4-6 hour game) and the third is thick but even smaller than the other two. That I use for all necessary game notes. usually time passing or who the players have offended and the occasional brainstorm or idea generations.
All in all I love notebooks. I am trying to get them in digital format but I have so much to write for next week I can only get one or two scans done before the next game.
Wow, lotta notebook aficienados out there!!! Thanks to everyone for the commnets.
Now I just have to keep my wallet away from Moleskines and Engineering Notebooks. Ooohhh, they are calling to me right now.
There’s no reason to be ashamed of buying expensive paper and pens if you are buying quality. I buy the $18 notebooks rather than two $0.99 notebooks (same total number of pages) because they are so much better. With the cheap notebooks, ink bleeds through the paper so I can’t write on both sides without it being hard to read. And the ink smears so that even 6 months later it’s difficult to read. Plus, the cheap notebooks tear apart after several months of being carried back and forth in a shoulder bag. With the expensive notebooks I can write on both sides, I can read what I wrote 20 years ago, and they stand up to the rigors of use.
Odd. I’ve been using cheap composition notebooks exclusively for three years now and never had this issue. No smears, no bleeding, and they’ve kept their shape nicely–even the one that gets toted around on a weekly basis.
$18 a pop for a notebook? Too rich for my blood. But the ones I’ve seen sure are pretty, I’ll give you that.
Another hybrid user here. Up until about two years ago I was almost exclusively a notebook person. My thought process just doesn’t translate to notebook apps or wikis. But moving my regular game onto Roll20 forced me to adjust my thinking for the sake of convenience. Ideas, sketches and outlines generally begin in the notebook (I use composition notebooks these days—you can get them for a song during Back to School sales and they play much nicer on the bookshelf than spirals) and then get transferred to Evernote when they are closer to completion. I also keep a binder, but this mostly just keeps my play aids and screen together these days.
Another cool feature of notebooks: inside covers. I’ve been using full page label paper to affix idea generators and game notes on the inside covers of my notebooks for quick and easy reference. I even added a ribbon bookmark. I wrote an article on my blog about it a while back.
https://braceofpistols.wordpress.com/2015/08/27/updated-notebook-reference/
I use a composition book myself, but mine has graph paper inside it. I keep maps and sketches on the right, and NPC names and plots on the left. I use it during and between sessions. The neat thing about it (compared to some digital media) is that I can hold it up for the players, pass it around to illustrate something, and each session is dated, so there is a chronology to what I record. Because it is a composition book, the pages don’t fall out and it is pretty robust when jostling around in my bag.
Nice idea Oliver, thanks for responding!