In this session, we focused on pages 125-141, “Index Cards” through “Calling Around,” of Anne Lamott’s, Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life, and used this question to guide our discussion:

In the chapter “Index Cards,” Anne Lamott talks about her practice of using index cards to capture thoughts, story ideas, insights, snatches of conversation, and such. What method do you currently use to save snippets you may find useful later? Have you tried other strategies? Did they work? If so, why did you change your approach? Tell us how you manage this part of the writing process.

We had a lively discussion as many members contributed ways to save story thoughts and ideas for later use. What’s one thing you gleaned from this session that you might try? Let us know in the comments section below.

John talked about his daughter’s gift of a Plaud Note, the AI voice recorder that transcribes, summarizes, and organizes the notes you speak. I already bought one and can’t wait to try it out.