TW: This is going to be touchy topic as it goes towards intellectual property, ideas, and when each are relevant. -JBH

Ideas are precious commodities.

The one thing I must leave you with as we end this month is to guard your ideas. Read it again: guard your ideas. Aside from time wasted, the next worst thing that can happen to a writer is to lose an idea. Not from the laziness that all writers have when we don’t write something down–but someone taking your idea that you never wrote down or saved.

That kind of loss is common, whispered about, and is completely unnecessary.

In the age of smartphones, consider this an extension of your imagination (because it is!). Ideas have time and date stamped on/in Notes app on iPhones. And recently? I found lots of work on my phone, completely forgetting when I wrote anything.

Aside from the steady reminder that you all have from me this month about saving your work in two places, I want you to be mindful of who you share your ideas with–especially if there is no copyright added to them!

The thing is: if you tell and idea and someone else grabs in and runs with it? You have to own that too. Not everyone in writer circles are honest!

Losses for a writer can snowball quickly: guard your work, save your work, and be mindful of who you share things with. You’ll thank me later.