Tuesday, February 8, 2011

My 2nd Day of the Picture Book Marathon

If you are a writer, who strays from the computer and scribbles your ideas out on paper, then you need to read this bit of advice.

Do not use felt-tip pens.

Mine was part of a set of 4 that I got as a Christmas gift. I thought they were so neat. That colorful set of four: black, red, green, blue. So, of course, when I sat down to write my first pb for the marthon, I turned to this thoughtful gift.

Unfortunately, the ink of this thoughtfut gift runs right off the paper, if you happen to be rushing into work and your paper that holds your new story, that you shoved into your notebook, falls out of that notebook in the midst of all your rushing and lands in a puddle. A deep, dark, wet puddle.

And stays in that puddle all day, because you are inside working, where you should be, and even end up staying after-hours, because that is what you do when students ask for extra help, and you don't return to your vehicle until the end of the day and find that paper soaked all the way thru, with a few hints of that coloful, red ink blotching up the edges. It even tears in half when you try to pick it up, because it is drenched and would prefer to stay stuck to the pavement where it has been laying for 7 hours....

7 hour-work-day. Rough, I know. I shouldn't complain.

I don't. And I didn't, because this is how life works for me.

So, I did my best to pick up the sopping paper that once held the words to my story, and put all three pieces of it in the back of my car, because I don't litter, and headed home, and sat down, and rewrote my story.

The good news? I think I like it even better the second time around!

Now I just have to find a safe place to put the paper that it's written on....

And the funny thing is, the title still includes the word, CAUTION!


2 comments:

  1. Wow. That's harsh. But I understand your need to write by hand sometimes.

    I do my best thinking while writing longhand in noisy restaurants. Weird right?

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love noisy places that provide some nondescript corner where I can settle in and zone out the chaos, while being fueled on its energy, and write. ; ) Not so weird...then again, I'm not necessarily a good measure for normal.... : )

    ReplyDelete

Thank you! Your comment will appear soon after approval