A Few More Tips For Note-Taking

    Note taking: a way to learn new writing/plotting techniques, and watch an awesome series marathon-style without feeling guilty about it.
    I've written a post on things to consider while note-taking before, but it was pretty short. Here are some more ideas that I didn't mention in the last one. :)
    Special vocabulary/terms/slang. Every place in the world pretty much has their own vocabulary. Same with fiction. The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld has a whole new vocabulary and an honorific system. But it's not just science fiction or fantasy or historical fiction that can have special terms. Most cities/regions have their own nicknames for objects that outsiders have to learn.
    Subplots. Because you can't have just one plot. Things would seem flat, one-dimensional. Life is never as simple as only having issues in one aspect of life. People--real and fictional--have problems and happenings on multiple plains. Family matters, school dilemmas, inner issues (like self-doubt or a feeling of inadequacy), romantic relationships. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins has at least three subplots along with the main issue of the rebellion's war against the Capitol: Katniss's love triangle with Peeta and Gale, her attempts to protect her family, and the fact that she's battling depression, guilt, and a wheelbarrow of other traumatic scars. The main character's juggling chainsaws; there's never a dull moment in the story!
    The main goal of the characters. What is the thing that everyone is working towards? This is a nice thing to take note of because in a novel, the characters' work should build up to one large climax, not multiple small ones. An example of a sentence like this could be: "The characters are working towards stopping the antagonist from receiving and selling plans of mass destruction to other bad guys."
    The main problem that the characters have. Like the main goal, a main issue might be a good thing to identify. There can be lots of problems in a story, but it's particularly awesome when they all comprise one thematic issue. For example: "The protagonists need each other, but they can't get along!"
    Particularly powerful/awesome lines and scenes. The lines that make you laugh out loud in public. Actions that surprised you as a reader. Things the character said that you'll never forget. It's nice to write these down (or write a sentence-long summary of the scene) not only because they'd be cool to tape to a mirror, but because they can be analyzed. What made that statement so funny? What factors made that scene so powerful?
    Special information. I read a great novel where the setting was a cooking competition show, and it definitely could not have been written so well if the information was just Googled. The author clearly had experience. They knew exactly what they were talking about because they'd experienced aspects of what the characters did. Having an idea of what exact sort of information they took from their library of knowledge pertaining to their skill could be used when writing about a skill of your own.
    Writing style. Are things written in a way where every moment is described in detail, or are there a lot of summarizations of character action? Does the writer use a lot of jargon, or do they use description to explain what the character is doing? What sort of words are being used; complicated ones or words that everyone knows?
    Opinions as you read/watch. If you've ever gotten critique and the critiquing person tells you things that they thought as they read for the first time, you know how awesome it is. It gives vital information on which exact words made a person feel something most, how a description/the actions of a character portray them, and how fun it was for the reader while they were reading the story. Reviewing one's own opinions of another story can help in identifying which passages should be analyzed most.
    End thoughts of what aspects were great. At the end of the long adventure of reading/watching, not being caught up in one particular part of the book/show/movie, what are your overall thoughts? What was the best scene? The subplot that was done best? What are the best parts, and how can one use similar techniques in their own story?
    End thoughts of what aspects weren't so great, or were really bad. We learn from mistakes too--maybe even more than from successes. If you despised the story, why? Was there just one aspect that spoiled the rest of a great book? How can one avoid making the same mistake?
    Do you have any of these factors in mind when you take notes on a novel, movie, or TV show? What do you take notes in--a specific notebook, or random pages of paper?