Wrangling my Right Brain into Something Resembling Submission

I've always been teased for how right-brained I am.  My report cards could be split into two columns: A's in the arts and F's in math and science.  I still have nightmares about algebra 1 (which I failed three times, I think), and I still have eternal gratitude for the chemistry teacher who I'm pretty sure fudged that roll for me so I could graduate.  On my worst creative-minded days I can't properly write a list.  I have to draw the bag of carrots instead of writing 'carrots', just so I can focus all the way through grocery shopping.   It's that bad.  And while this is charmingly endearing in theory, it's a super pain in the butt in a lot of practical ways.  For example:

Today, I found a note that I wrote myself about five years ago.  It was a "eureka!" note regarding a plot snafu I'd been having trouble with in book one.  Half the notebook page, which I found folded into a triangle in between the pages of 'The prisoner of Azkaban', had drawings of unicorns on it.  I didn't find it in time, because my notes for book one are written in seven thousand different notebooks and on a dozen napkins and bookmarks and coloring book pages.  Inspiration is a delightfully unpredictable mistress.

So, as I was saying, I didn't find that note and write accordingly.  And it pertained to the single biggest plot problem I had.  I spent THREE YEARS feeling like I was forgetting something.  There was some piece of the puzzle that I KNEW I had solved but just couldn't remember.  In my defense, I have four children and, I strongly suspect, undiagnosed ADHD.  Eventually I did figure out the solution, but I sure did waste a lot of time letting my right brain run amok with my precious writing time.

Friends, book two will be different.  I give you, the Right Brained Writer's Binder:

It's a half inch binder full of sheet protectors and a zipper pouch for pens and pencils.  Thought of something while washing dishes and wrote it down on the paper towel roll?  Slide it in a sleeve!  Realized an amazing plot twist while changing the baby's diaper and forced your eight-year-old into the scribe trade?  Tear it off his nature journal page and stick it with the rest!  This is the best thing ever.

You're welcome.

Roll for initiative,
Jamie Wahl

You can buy the product of my right brain's many hours of toil on amazon!  ;)