Writing Fodder

working it out_TackkWriting fodder is all around us. You just have to tune in and then chronicle it on the spot.

My writing coach client Wendy Coblentz is like a discriminating human tape recorder. She writes down every tidbit of humorous dialogue she overhears or participates in. Ditto for every experience. Aware of how fickle memory can be, she doesn’t wait. She scrawls notes on everything from a  receipt to the corner of the New York Times book review section. When she gets home, she writes them up more fully and then stashes the short snippets away.

Sometimes these tidbits inspire a blog post. Other times, she finds places to wedge them into a longer piece she’s working on. Either way, paying attention to what’s going on and taking advantage of all that writing fodder serves her well.

I’ve heard some of the best exchanges–and had some of my best ideas —while nursing a glass of red in a restaurant. So I can confirm that a pile of cocktail napkins seems to encourage creative thinking. The wine doesn’t hurt either.

These days I carry a tiny notepad in my purse to capture those random thoughts or intriguing moments. The challenge is remembering to put the notepad back once I take it out to transfer my scribbles onto my computer. So in moments of paperless desperation, I’ve resorted to that elementary school trick of writing on my hand. That’s as close to body ink as I’m going to get.

Here’s what I don’t do. I no longer tell myself that I’ll remember. I know that the only thing I will recall is that I had a terrific idea or overheard a fabulous bit of dialogue. Beyond that? Forget it.

 

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