In the blog Two Writing Teachers, there is an entry that mentions the power of a good list. The bloggers teach at the middle school level, and urge their students to keep lists of possible topics to write on if they get stuck.
I must confess something I’ve never publicly disclosed before. I am an inveterate list maker. I write lists of movies I want to see, books I need to read, books I want to read, books I want to buy, books I want to know more about before I commit them to one of the previous lists.
I keep lists of places I want to visit, places I need to know more about, and questions about places. Since I began writing some fiction a number of years ago, I keep lists of names: boys and girl’s names, men’s and women’s names, names of dogs and names of gods. I keep a list of names that would be good for a hero, and some that scream “villain!” I write down names that are distinctive and some that are forgettable.
Lists serve a number of useful purposes for me. They are first of all a storehouse of thoughts I’ve had at one time or another and saw fit to keep for later use. I look over them when I’m looking for something specific like a name, or when I’m stuck and need a memory-jogger. Sometimes reading down a list of something as seemingly pedestrian as a list of street names is enough to trigger a feeling, which morphs into a thought on its way to becoming an idea. That idea may be the key to unlocking the story, or it may simply lead me down a dark, dead end alley. Either way, it helps the writing move, to put more words on the page, and that is essential to good writing.
Coaches tell their players that they must be in motion in order to react quickly. Therefore the linebacker or the third baseman always sets his feet in motion before the play begins. It’s the same with writing; by keeping the pen or keyboard moving, it makes it easier to react to a fleeting idea, or one that is buried within a flurry of foolishness, in order to try to keep things moving forward. When I come up against a wall and can’t think of anything to write, I simply pull out a list.
Like freewriting, journaling and other eminently useful writing tools, lists can help us in a number of ways as we navigate the writing jungle. If you haven’t tried using them, give it a shot; you might be surprised what a good list can do for you!
Original article:
The Power of a Good List
Two Writing Teachers blog
http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2008/09/17/the-power-of-a-good-list/
Blaine, your blog is pretty interesting, as I too am a list maker. I do not make list to quite the extent that you do, I don’t think, but nevertheless, I make them. I make lists most importantly of things I now I will not remember in the future. I make things to do lists, things I just have written someplace and need to find a spot for them lists, and how to do lists. I even have a binder full of possible book ideas, because they come to me sometimes and if they are not written down, they will not be remembered. I make them in my notebook from Microsoft office, and they are chaos but written down to come back to when needed.
It is true what you say about lists or words being a bit of a trigger for something to write, because you never know what will start a thought to stir in your head. It could be just one word that makes you think of something totally different, but get you going in the right direction. The article sounds very interesting, and I wish you could have told us a little more about what it had to say about list making.
Blaine, I would like to say I am also a list maker. I always used to make fun of my mom because she needed her lists to keep track of what she needed to do, I thought what a horrible memory. That is until I needed them also. I keep lists of what books I want to read, where I would like to travel, songs I want to download, and many more for various other occassions. What would benefit me more now is if I could find those stupid lists. I keep telling myself that I need to by a small notebook to keep with me at all times but I never remember when I am at the store. I have loose papers of lists all over the place, my car, my work, my house. Its disgracefull really. But your blog really caught my attention, the way it relates writing to football and baseball was really good.
I have conflicting thoughts about lists. Although I once too was an avid list maker, I have found I no longer have time to think about what it is I would like to do. It seems I am so occupied with what I AM doing, that what I would LIKE to be doing is sometimes a humorous thought!
Sure, I still make a grocery list the night before I plan to go shopping; however, even then it seems that I forget the list at home–or forget it’s in my hand as I’m strolling through each isle grabing the things I need off the shelf! What has happened to me? Am I worse off for abandoning my lists?
I don’t think so, although my grocery example may be pithy…it’s true with all of my “To do” and “Wish” and “Someday” lists as well. It’s not that these lists have changed, I still want to go to Africa, read the Chronicles of Narnia and I want to name my son Kayden–if I ever have one!
My husband claims that I was spending more time “planning” than I was “executing”. And, unfortunately, he was right.
The truely important “lists” or goals of mine I don’t need to write down becuase they are in my soul–as a part of me. As for all the books I’ve ever had an interest or intention of reading: there’s absolutely no way in hell I’ll get to read that many books if I had 3 lifetimes devoted to reading alone! So, what are we doing with all this lists? Is it a sign we aren’t content with the present…that we want to be insanely busy all of our lives and not just in collge? Why is it that we always want more and think we need it before it is obtainable?
Just a thought-
Erica Haveman
Your fellow classmate
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