Hector Berlioz, the 19th century French composer, said “every composer knows the anguish and despair occasioned by forgetting ideas which one had no time to write down.” Just as Abraham Lincoln thought “No man has a good enough memory to be a successful liar,” no one has a good enough memory to remember all of their game ideas.
I’m using “write down” generically to mean write on paper, type into a computer, speak into a voice recorder, or in some other way make a record, preferably a record that can be (and is) backed up regularly. I even use voice recognition to write notes, at times. While this advice is especially important for game designers, GM’s who make up their own adventures are effectively game designers. Though if you simply follow what’s written in a commercial module then this doesn’t apply.
Writing things down is good not only because you have a memory substitute, but because it can help you creatively. When you later look at what you’ve written you can see relationships you might not conceive in your mind, because you see it written down. You can see undesirable repetition, inconsistencies, or contradictions. You can associate things you otherwise wouldn't associate. Educators have known for a long time, when students write things down they learn better.
I don’t mean carefully crafted descriptions, I mean notes, sentences, phrases, occasionally a little more than that. Write it down in whatever level of detail will help you remember, and you'll probably benefit sometime. Six months, a year, two years later you might occasionally not even know what you meant by what you wrote, but that's alright as long as most of the time you can figure out what you meant.
Sometimes more extensive notes can help. A couple years ago I read the notes for a game I’d more or less abandoned four years earlier. This got me going again, and it’s turned out to be a popular and unique (but not yet published) game. Without those notes, it would never have happened.
You'll probably want to use software made for note taking and associating notes. I use Info Select, an old-fashioned and expensive program that works well. Evernote or Microsoft OneNote can be used, or the very simple Memento; all three are free downloads. Worse comes to worst, use a word processor.
You might not like this idea of recording everything, but think about it. If you're making a commercial tabletop role-playing game or adventure you have to write it all down on computer sooner or later. Your notes provide the basis for the formal version.
Whenever you get an idea, write it down, immediately. Don’t be like Berlioz, take the time to record it; if you're not saving it somewhere, I think you're screwing up - but it’s up to you.
Your Turn: What are your note keeping tips?
Record Your Ideas
One of the first things I told game development students in my classes was, “record your ideas.” The only safe way to keep track of your ideas is to write them down/record them immediately and get in the habit of doing it consistently. Everyone nowadays, not just seniors, has CRS (Can’t Remember S--t). If you have a lot of ideas, a lot of things you want to keep track of, you're not going to remember them all. (People with near-perfect memories are as legendarily rare as people who can actually multi-task without degradation of efficiency, though many fool themselves about both.)
I’m using “write down” generically to mean write on paper, type into a computer, speak into a voice recorder, or in some other way make a record, preferably a record that can be (and is) backed up regularly. I even use voice recognition to write notes, at times. While this advice is especially important for game designers, GM’s who make up their own adventures are effectively game designers. Though if you simply follow what’s written in a commercial module then this doesn’t apply.
Writing things down is good not only because you have a memory substitute, but because it can help you creatively. When you later look at what you’ve written you can see relationships you might not conceive in your mind, because you see it written down. You can see undesirable repetition, inconsistencies, or contradictions. You can associate things you otherwise wouldn't associate. Educators have known for a long time, when students write things down they learn better.
I don’t mean carefully crafted descriptions, I mean notes, sentences, phrases, occasionally a little more than that. Write it down in whatever level of detail will help you remember, and you'll probably benefit sometime. Six months, a year, two years later you might occasionally not even know what you meant by what you wrote, but that's alright as long as most of the time you can figure out what you meant.
Sometimes more extensive notes can help. A couple years ago I read the notes for a game I’d more or less abandoned four years earlier. This got me going again, and it’s turned out to be a popular and unique (but not yet published) game. Without those notes, it would never have happened.
Back It Up
If you don't have a computer available, you still have many choices. For example, I have a PDA, kind of old-fashioned, but I have it mainly because it's a good voice recorder for short notes and I can use it one-handed without looking at it while I'm driving. I also have a voice recorder (and a phone) to record something more elaborate. I used to carry a paper notebook but that’s harder to back up, although you can take a digital photograph of the page in your notebook.You'll probably want to use software made for note taking and associating notes. I use Info Select, an old-fashioned and expensive program that works well. Evernote or Microsoft OneNote can be used, or the very simple Memento; all three are free downloads. Worse comes to worst, use a word processor.
You might not like this idea of recording everything, but think about it. If you're making a commercial tabletop role-playing game or adventure you have to write it all down on computer sooner or later. Your notes provide the basis for the formal version.
Not Just for Game Designers
As a player, if you want to keep track of what’s happening in your adventure, you should be writing it down. I used to write extensive notes about games I played, a narrative more or less, which is still entertaining (for me) to read as much as 37 years later. I wasn’t writing to read it decade(s) later, I wrote it to help me remember things that might be important in or to future adventures. Some people go so far as to turn their notes into fan fiction or other short stories.Whenever you get an idea, write it down, immediately. Don’t be like Berlioz, take the time to record it; if you're not saving it somewhere, I think you're screwing up - but it’s up to you.
Your Turn: What are your note keeping tips?
