My barber told me a story about his uncle's diner and it fixed my writer's block

I was getting a haircut last week and my barber, Vince, was telling me about his uncle who ran a diner in Akron for thirty years. He said the guy kept a notebook under the counter where he'd write down one weird thing a customer said every single day. Just a line, like 'the rain sounds like bacon' or 'my dog thinks the moon is a tennis ball.' Vince said his uncle filled twelve notebooks and never showed them to anyone. It made me realize I've been trying to write these big, perfect scenes, when maybe I should just collect little, strange moments instead. I started my own list three days ago and already have five things that feel like real story seeds. Has anyone else found a simple trick like this that just unlocked a new way to gather ideas?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_jenny26d ago

Used to think you needed big ideas to start writing. Like a whole plot or a deep theme. That diner notebook thing is way smarter. It's not about building a whole house at once. It's about collecting cool bricks. Now I keep a note on my phone for weird stuff I see on the bus. Just a couple words. It takes the pressure off.

quinn_kim4526d agoMost Upvoted

Sounds like a great way to just collect a bunch of random junk. You still need the big idea to turn those bricks into a house.