Keeping a Notebook: Week Two

Hey, Ninja Writer!

First . . . make sure to read all the way down for this week's notebook-keeping prompt.

Second, I have a story for you.

There's a restaurant near my house where I love to go to write sometimes. The people who work there are super nice. It's never very busy, so I can sit there for a couple of hours without being worried about taking up a table they need for another guest. Plus they make really good turkey sandwiches.

I went there yesterday. My MFA packet is due in ten days and I needed to get some work done. It was about 2 p.m. and I was the only customer in the joint. I ate my turkey sandwich and was immersed in my writing when it suddenly became obvious that something was happening.

The owner had gathered every employee on the other side of the restaurant and was telling them that she was closing the restaurant in two weeks. They were all laid off. She was in tears. They were in tears. And no one was paying attention to me. I think they forgot about me.

It was one of the most awkward moments I've experienced. I couldn't leave, even though all my home training told me that I should go and not just sit there while all these people are losing their jobs and the poor owner was telling people she really cared about that she was losing her business.

But I would have had to pull someone out of that meeting to let me pay my bill. So I was stick.

Really, I had no choice, if you think about it. I pulled out my notebook and I started taking notes. How does a local business owner manage laying off a dozen employees all at once? What happens if they all get new jobs BEFORE the final closing day? How long does an owner keep chasing their sunk costs before throwing in the towel? How does a teenage ice-cream scooper react compared to a 40-year-old line cook? What kind of metaphor is it that the restaurant was empty enough at two in the afternoon for them to have this emotional meeting right in the middle of the restaurant at that moment?

It was all fascinating. And it all went in my notebook.

Writers are observers. We're recorders. We're the people who take it all in, stand in the awkward, and process it into stories that change the world.

That, Ninja, is pretty damn exciting.

* * *

Here's another quote about keeping a notebook that reaches into my heart.

"But what am I to do? I must have some drug, and reading isn’t a strong enough drug now.” —C.S. Lewis, writing about journaling after his wife died in A Grief Observed.

* * *

Here are a couple of the notebooks that we've put up in the shop this week.

This Depeche Mode Everyday Notebook is one of my favorites. It makes my inner tenth-grade-girl very happy.

These little pocket-size 4X6 index card binders are amazing, too. I love this Breakfast at Tiffany's one. Maybe the most. I love the idea of having one of my most favorite book covers inspire me when I'm writing.

This Week's Prompt

This week, I want you to really, really pay attention. Be hyperaware. Look for an awkward moment and then just sit with it and your notebook. Write down your impressions, quotes, ideas--whatever that awkwardness brings up for you. Don't be afraid to be the observer. Remember last week's prompt? Use your sensory details.

Let's talk about awkward moments this week over on the Facebook page.

Love,

Shaunta

If you enjoyed this story, give it some love with a heart. ❤❤❤

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