Writing Tip #3 (of 9): Capture and Organize Your Stories

Educators as Writers Series

Raise your hand if you have heard the following from an experienced educator:

“If I had written all the stories down from working with kids, I would have enough for a book!”

This is actually possible. Here’s how, using either a physical notebook or technology.

For capturing and organizing experiences in print, dedicate a blank journal to this initiative. Number the pages if they are blank. The front page should serve as a table of contents or index. Anytime something memorable occurs, quickly jot down a description in the next page. Then note the page for the story and index it in the front.

See my index example below.

Photo: Stories I have indexed

If you prefer capturing and organizing your stories from school digitally, consider a notetaking or journaling application. I like Evernote for PCs and Day One for Mac. Both applications allow you to enter information on a phone, tablet, or laptop and save across devices in the cloud.

For either approach, write down the details of the experience s…