Elizabeth G: Confession is good for the soul. Or “I’ve got a little list...”
My name is Elizabeth and I’m addicted to making lists.
It all started in my childhood. I kept a list of the books and authors I read, year by year, in a loose leaf notebook. (Can you imagine the icy chill that ran down my spine when I discovered only recently that our son has been doing the same thing?)
Eventually I moved on from a No. 2 pencil and wide-lined notebook paper to a fountain pen and a fancier, more permanent record book. Over the years I’ve added a vast array of list-making tools: legal pads for outlining chapters and characters in bed at night, steno pads for my daily “to do” list, post-it notes for anything and everything from “defrost salmon” to “call Mom," to "plot points," 3 x 5 cards for errands, 5 x 6 cards for the grocery list, calendars upstairs, downstairs, and on two computers.
There are those among you — you know who you are; I don’t need to name names — who claim that my inveterate list making is an obvious and pathetic attempt to gain control over my life.
Possibly.
Probably.
Okay, yeah!
But like most writers I get so caught up in my story and characters that the ordinary, mundane tasks are easy to overlook: like paying the electric bill or buying TP. (Actually I’m sure this is true for any busy woman, whatever her job or profession.)
I like to think of my lists as the day-to-day disposable stuff— brain clutter, if you will—that I don’t have to bother to save to my mental “hard drive.” And, yes, I’m the first to confess that I get a great deal of satisfaction from checking off the items one by one.
My husband gave me the supreme compliment yesterday. He said: “Honey, you were born organized.” (I think I'll keep him.:-)
So, my friends, it's time to come clean and confess your deepest and darkest secret. Are you a compulsive list maker, too? Or does the very idea drive you nuts?
Tongue-in-cheek,
~EG
It all started in my childhood. I kept a list of the books and authors I read, year by year, in a loose leaf notebook. (Can you imagine the icy chill that ran down my spine when I discovered only recently that our son has been doing the same thing?)Eventually I moved on from a No. 2 pencil and wide-lined notebook paper to a fountain pen and a fancier, more permanent record book. Over the years I’ve added a vast array of list-making tools: legal pads for outlining chapters and characters in bed at night, steno pads for my daily “to do” list, post-it notes for anything and everything from “defrost salmon” to “call Mom," to "plot points," 3 x 5 cards for errands, 5 x 6 cards for the grocery list, calendars upstairs, downstairs, and on two computers.
There are those among you — you know who you are; I don’t need to name names — who claim that my inveterate list making is an obvious and pathetic attempt to gain control over my life.
Possibly.
Probably.
Okay, yeah!
But like most writers I get so caught up in my story and characters that the ordinary, mundane tasks are easy to overlook: like paying the electric bill or buying TP. (Actually I’m sure this is true for any busy woman, whatever her job or profession.)
I like to think of my lists as the day-to-day disposable stuff— brain clutter, if you will—that I don’t have to bother to save to my mental “hard drive.” And, yes, I’m the first to confess that I get a great deal of satisfaction from checking off the items one by one.
My husband gave me the supreme compliment yesterday. He said: “Honey, you were born organized.” (I think I'll keep him.:-)
So, my friends, it's time to come clean and confess your deepest and darkest secret. Are you a compulsive list maker, too? Or does the very idea drive you nuts?
Tongue-in-cheek,
~EG
posted at 10:05 AM
