Cell Phones vs. Writing

By C. LaRene Hall

What would happen if you treated your writing the same way you do your cell phone?

Many times, I’ve tried to remember what I did before I had a cell phone. It’s not that I can’t live without it, because I can. The other people are the problem. If I leave it home, or if I turn it off, my family and friends are yelling, “Why didn’t you answer your phone?” Some days I think it would be great to go back in time to the era before cell phones, and sometimes I leave my phone home on purpose.

Maybe we writers should carry paper around with us everywhere we go. If we forget to grab paper and pen before we leave home, we should go back for them. After all, no good writer is caught without their writing tools. Of course, you need to have them within reach every time you stop for a red light. A good idea might pop into your head, so you have to be prepared. No matter where you go throughout the day, you need to carry it with you. During lunch, someone might say something funny and if you don’t write it down, you soon forget. If you’re waiting to pick up the kids, maybe you’ll see someone do something funny and so you have to put it on paper. Whatever you do, don’t leave the paper and pen home because in reality it's an important tool for every writer.

So many people today act as if they can’t live without their cell phone. Writers need to live as though we can’t live without our paper and pens. We would finish our stories so much faster if we used it as a lifeline the same as we do our cell phones. Therefore,, my advice is, don’t leave home without your paper and pen. They may come in handy.