This past week, the universe imposed opposing forces upon me. First, it giveth… Last month, for PiBoIdMo , I got a story idea and worked on it quite a bit. The only problem–I could NOT figure out how to start it. Everyday, I tried, but nothing came. Zip. Zilch. Nada. I wrote the middle and the ending, yet there sat my blank lines designated for the beginning, staring back at me.
A couple of days ago, I was digging around in my nightstand drawer looking for some Chapstick. And there, pushed under some other things, scribbled on a notepad were four barely legible lines. I was amazed as I read them. It was my opening! I do not remember ever writing those lines down except to say that it was not anytime recently. I must have done it in the middle of the night or early one morning while still half-asleep, months ago. But somehow those four lines stuck in my subconscious and the rest of the story came to light under the inspiration of PiBoIdMo. Isn’t it oddly serendipitous how a writer’s brain can work? I was quite pleased with this turn of events.
But then the universe, in its constant working of the yin and yang, tooketh away… One morning last week, I was lying in bed with my cat snuggled down on my lap, sound asleep. I got a story idea but had no paper and pen within reach (if only my arms were a foot longer!). But I did have my cell phone! On it’s Notes feature, I typed out the basic outline of the story, along with some strong opening lines. Again, I was quite pleased with things. A couple of hours later, long after the cat had woken up and freed me, I went to retrieve my notes off my phone so I could add them to my PiBoIdMo notebook. But my phone wouldn’t work. Well, the phone worked but the screen did not. Long story short–I had to replace my phone. Luckily, still under warranty, the manufacturer sent me a replacement. All I had to do was keep my cards and put them in the new phone.
Do you see where this is heading? When I went to retrieve my fabulously brilliant notes, they weren’t there. When my phone screen fried, I lost my notes! I’ve been trying to recall my wonderful beginning and overall structure, but it’s just not coming back to me. I know, maybe I should look in my nightstand drawer, where serendipity seems to thrive!
Sigh…the gods of the writing universe giveth and they taketh away, but my lesson learned is to never trust technology and always keep pen and paper within reach!
Terry Pierce 
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