As a writer, I can say the single greatest tool we have is pen and paper. The next best thing? A whole notebook full of random ideas, plot sketches, character notes and general observations of the world. Your “idea book” is a resource beyond a how-to book you can find at a library. Without ideas, inspirations and characters, what good is your story? Okay, okay, I admit many writers are probably able to store all that information in their heads and never forget a detail. I don’t function that way. I find that if I don’t write something down right away, I may lose it forever. I was looking through...