C.M. Mayo has written a series of excellent guest posts for Foreword magazine. All are worthy of your time and attention, but my favorite is probably the one about tools the novelist needs to organize the manuscript, and she gives a shout-out to the all-important index card:
“1. A small (purse-sized) notebook and/or 1/4" stack of blank index cardsI always carry these with me to jot down ideas, words, overheard dialogue, and sometimes even drafts of paragraphs or outlines of plots. By writing things down, I don’t lose them and also—this is subtle, but crucial—by keeping pen and paper with me at all times, I signal to my "artist self," I’m ready to write.”
Here’s the full list of pieces:
Writer's Blogs: What Works (& What Doesn't)
http://www.forewordmagazine.com/blogs/insider/PermaLink,guid,809c0d44-697b-4f87-9537-af01846c2242.aspx
Ten Tools for Organizing the Novel-in-Progress
http://www.forewordmagazine.com/blogs/insider/default,month,2009-03.aspx#a235068fc-fd38-4df6-ad63-bb54c9e117fe
For the Novelist's Bookshelf: One Dozen Books on Craft & Creating
http://www.forewordmagazine.com/blogs/insider/PermaLink,guid,e0aa3af9-f765-46ed-ae0d-823c2ff8f6c1.aspx
Use an Egg-Timer If You Must: The 5 Minute Cure for Writer's Block
http://www.forewordmagazine.com/blogs/insider/default,month,2009-03.aspx#a9eeebf25-8446-40e5-8d2b-34d7c29f49d8
