Scratchfile For Fragments/ideas

Does anyone here do this?

Is there a simple way to do this in finale... that is, have separate bits in different keys/ time signatures/ instrumental combinations/ number of staves, each starting a new line? Is there a *fast* way to have a big file like this to dump ideas into?

Not helpful for you since you use Finale, but this has been a feature in Sibelius for a while now — look up their Ideas functionality. This is exactly how I use it.

For this, I prefer use pencil and paper, as Dominus stated. I always have a little music notebook in my bag, to note down any idea that pops in my head when I'm out of home, university or studio. I prefer to do the ground work at free hand: compose a motif, some little variations, some ideas for harmonizing, ideas on instrumentation, scales, sometimes counterpoint et cetera. So, when I'm done with this, I really start the composition.

The situation I find myself in, very often, is, after entering a passage into finale, I'll decide it doesn't exactly fit. I think I would feel a bit bad if I just straight out deleted it (even if I never end up using it). I haven't used Sibelius since version 2 (circa 2003). I stopped because there were too many elements of the score that were outside of my control (placement of measure numbers etc). Has the situation changed here?