Idea File

An idea file is anything used to store song ideas and fragments. It could be a notebook, a folder, a digital recorder, a computer file, a Google Docs account, or a shelf of cassettes.

Whatever the format, it’s important to keep one centralized location for storing song ideas, so that they don’t get accidentally thrown away or forgotten. And in the case of computer audio files, CDs, or other physical media, it’s wise to clearly label each with a description of its contents. The entire point of storing these ideas is to make each one as easy as possible to find in the haystack—or to make them pleasant to browse.