What to Write About in a Writer’s Notebook:
ÿ Wonderings about the world
ÿ Interesting words you have heard or seen anywhere
ÿ Family stories
ÿ Lists of things (favorites, best, worst, strangest, happiest, saddest, hopes, dreams, coolest, fastest,
scariest...)
ÿ Memories (happy, sad, or other)
ÿ A conversation you heard or took part in
ÿ Things you notice around you
ÿ A seed of an idea for a story in the future
ÿ Something you learned
ÿ Feelings about anything (your friends, family, school, sports, animals, clothes, music, beaches,
bugs, trees, vacations, seasons, math)
ÿ Questions you have about anything
ÿ Quotes that you remember
ÿ Poems
ÿ Song lyrics
ÿ What you notice about nature or the earth
ÿ Descriptions of people, places, or things
ÿ Sketches of people, places, or things you might write about
ÿ Interesting writing from a book you read
ÿ A dream you had
ÿ Lots more...
A Writer’s Notebook is NOT a diary or a place to write whole stories. It is a place to keep your
ideas about things until you are ready to use them in a story. Remember, your Writer’s Notebook is
personal. It reflects your life and experiences, no one else’s. No one else will read it except you and
your teacher.
