My Shower Notebook
Like a lot of writers I get my best ideas in the shower, but for years I refused to acknowledge this fact. When I sniffed my mint shampoo and got an idea for an Irish woman assassin that specializes in poisoning through the epidermis, I told myself, "You can wait to write it down. You'll remember."
Guess what? Didn't remember.
And that's where my shower notebook comes in.
Now, I'll admit that many of my shower ideas suck, but as Creativity Guru Michael Michalko teaches in one of his books on the subject, when it comes to ideas, quantity begets quality. So, in the case of my shower notebook, when an idea comes to me, I don't judge it; I simply stick my arm out and write it in my little yellow vinyl notebook. It's called a WetLog™, and it's a lot more pleasant than it sounds.
The WetLog™ notebook—perfect for outside the shower.
Into my shower notebook I have put dozens of ideas, most of which will probably never come to fruition because I lack the skills, experience or both. (So, if you like an idea and can do something with it, by all means steal it.)
- A science-fiction story about H3 extraction on the moon, wherein nano-machines enter the moon rock and suck out the H3 we need for fusion on Earth, and then because the humans start treating the little mechanical miracle-workers like shit, the nano-creatures turn on them.
- An idea for an "editing engine" software program for writers.
- An idea for a nanotechnology shaver, whereby hundreds of microscopic "Roombas" shave a man's face while he sleeps, effectively gnawing down the hairs like micro beavers to tiny trees, chipping them up and storing them in their bellies until they return to "base"—a canister on a chain around the man's neck. Hopefully these nano-guys won't revolt.
- An idea for a new GEICO commercial. A while back, my wife and I were watching TV and remarked to each other about how tired the gecko-caveman thing is. So, why not a commercial that starts with a TV showing one of the old ones, then it pans back to show a couple on the couch. He says, "You know, that ad campaign's getting pretty tired." And she says, "Yeah, you'd think they'd realize how media-savvy people are these days and that they're saturated with this crap." Then CUT TO: "GEICO, fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent on car insurance..."
- Characters' names. I've come up with a lot of character names in the shower over the years, and NO, I've never stooped to calling any of them Ammonium Laureth Sulfate, although I have used Laurel in a story, and YES, I got it from the shampoo bottle.
- Dialogue. Most of the time I get the dialogue while writing or during my daily walk. However, now and then I find myself mulling over a line in the shower, refining it as I scrub, trying out different phrasings, comma placements and such.
Well, there you have it—the wonders of my shower notebook. Writer or not, I believe every creative person should have one. I don't know what it is about water that seems to stimulate most of us, but whenever I'm going to be around it, I make sure I have a notebook handy.