Many years ago I was taking a walk along the shore with a friend, and our girl talk went to DEFCON 1. (This is the most intense level of sharing between two women, where we swap secrets and confess anxieties. Any more intense, and we’d have to call in the Emo SWAT).   

My friend confessed an affinity for a particular nightly cosmetic ritual–let’s call it extreme  pore cleansing. She went into rich detail about her technique, which she’d raised to the level of art. After about ten minutes, it was clear that her skin-cleansing habit had become an obsession.  

I was a bit aghast at her description, but fascinated. Then I took a step back from the conversation and began to listen as a writer. This is what neurosis is, I thought. Later that day I jotted some notes into my character notebook, a journal I keep specifically for writing. The conversation with my friend (disguised, of course) became background for character description. I’d consult those notes if I ever wanted to describe someone whose face is shiny, red and taut around the edges, like someone who compulsively cleans their pores every night. 


I’m always looking for these moments, the ones when my writer’s ear starts to listen. They’re ephemeral: if I don’t write them down immediately in my journal or on an index card I’ll forget them, like a dream you recall immediately after waking up, but which quickly fades from memory.

Do you keep a character notebook, or something similar? Do you have any moments of “writer’s ear” that you can share?  

p.s. I updated my web site a bit — check it out.