Yesterday, I was at Paulo Coelho’s blog, reading excerpts from an interview he did with Tim Ferris, and a few points stuck out to me. One of the more notable things about the interview was Coelho’s stance on notetaking. He said:

I use notes to take them out of my head. I will never use them the next day—they will be useless … Forget notetaking. What is important remains, what is not important goes away.

At first I thought, Whatever, to each his own. But then I realized that I, too, end up disregarding whatever notes I’d written for a story or script because, yes, they ultimately are useless.

Please understand that “notes” is not synonymous with “outline.” I’m not a pantser—I can’t just sit down and make the story up as I go along. I have to have an outline in front of me. Even if the story veers off in a different direction, there’s still something guiding me, helping me find my way to the resolution I’ve envisioned.

But I am a prodigious notetaker. I have dozens of black and white speckled notebooks, collected and filled over the years with notes on everything from character names and descriptions of settings to plot ideas and titles. And you know what? They’re all sitting in a corner by my desk, unopened, unused, unlooked at. Why?

Because they’re useless.

Sure, there may be some good shit in there somewhere. But evidently that was the problem. There was so much shit in my head that perhaps they cluttered my thoughts. I had to get everything out somehow, so I jotted everything down. And as Coelho said, what was important remained.

I had three full notebooks for my debut novel GUESTLIST. The notebooks had everything, including some really great quotes that I couldn’t wait to insert into my characters’ mouths. You know something? That never happened. Out of all the pages in those notebooks, the only ones I used had my handwritten, bare bones outline of novel on them. That’s it! Since the story was so vivid in my mind, there was no need to go back and try to look up any of the details I’d written down. There was no need to reference any of the notes I’d taken.

What is important remains, what is not important goes away.

I suspect I’ll still buy a new black and white speckled notebook for every new project I begin, just out of sheer habit. I’ve been doing it since the eighth grade—thanks, Mrs. Allen!—so there’s no stopping the practice now. And I’ll probably still jot down my little notes and ideas knowing the likelihood of my using them will be slim.

And my stories will still come out fucking fantastic, as always. Ha!

What’s your take on Coelho’s notetaking stance? Do you agree or disagree? LMK in the comments below.

Photo of Paulo Coelho: Murdo Mcleod

Today marks the beginning of Come Around My Way, an exhibition of photographs by Aviva Klein.

The exhibition will be on display through Monday, February 20, from 12-6pm at 511 West 20th Street, near the High Line in Manhattan. An opening reception will be held tonight starting at 7pm.

There will be music by the one and only DJ Gravy, and cocktails courtesy of Alacrán Tequila.

For more information on the exhibit or the artist herself, visit www.avivaklein.com.

511 W. 20th St.
New York, NY  10011

23 St (A, C, E)
14 St (A, C, E)
8 Av (L)

On Tuesday, February 21, the Strand Bookstore will host the Critics Circle: Inside the Oscars event. The event will feature such esteemed film critics as David Denby (The New Yorker), Michael Musto (Village Voice), Andrew O’Hehir (Salon), Dana Stevens (Slate), and NYU film professor Deborah Reinisch as they engage in a lively pre-Oscars discussion.

The 84th annual Academy Awards airs on February 26. In honor of the spirit of film, this week The Strand is giving a 20% discount on select books that were made into movies, including The Descendants, Moneyball, The Iron Lady, and The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Hooray!

The Strand Bookstore
828 Broadway
(between 12th St & 13th St)
New York, NY 10003
Neighborhoods: Greenwich Village, Union Square, East Village
(212) 473-1452
www.strandbooks.com

Union Sq – 14 St (L)
14 St – Union Sq (4, 5, 6, 6X)
14 St – Union Sq (N, Q, R)

I’m sure you’ve seen it on your Facebook by now. That oh so hilarious meme comprised of visual charts depicting a range of preconceptions associated with a particular field of occupation or expertise.

In other words, the “What People Think I Do / What I Really Do” meme.

Naturally, there’s one for writers, and it was created by Jelena over at The Worldbuilders’ Journal. This is so true. So very, very true.

Hey, funny meme is funny.

As an added bonus, fellow writer Twanna Hines shared another variation the Writers meme:

Check out some of the other ”What People Think I Do / What I Really Do” memes over at Know Your Meme.

Peep this sweet video tribute to Whitney Houston by my musically talented hombre Alex Walker.

“A tribute to an American treasure.”