Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning,
Speaker 1: This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's
Speaker 1: tip is to keep a one line idealist. When you
Speaker 1: hear something that sparks your thinking, write it down. It's
Speaker 1: possible that it just might come in handy someday. Today's
Speaker 1: tip comes from prolific novelist Serena Bowen. From her interview
Speaker 1: for this podcast last year, Serena explained that she's always
Speaker 1: on the lookout for ideas she finds interesting, such as
Speaker 1: things she reads in news stories that capture her attention
Speaker 1: for some reason. Perhaps it's a police case that's solved
Speaker 1: in an unexpected way, or a couple that meets under
Speaker 1: truly bizarre circumstances. Serena says it is wise to recognize
Speaker 1: ideas that intrigue you and to find a place to
Speaker 1: record these ideas, or to keep them close. As she
Speaker 1: puts it, Serena has a page at the back of
Speaker 1: her planner called one Line Ideas. Sometimes she will write
Speaker 1: a book that has its seed in one or more
Speaker 1: of these little musings. But even if you are not
Speaker 1: a novelist, it pays to keep track of ideas that
Speaker 1: interest you. Serena explains, what you write down are those
Speaker 1: things that tickle you for a second. She says, it's
Speaker 1: the act of stopping to say hold on, that's different,
Speaker 1: that's speaking to me. So, for instance, a teacher might
Speaker 1: keep track of bizarre news stories and use the situations
Speaker 1: as short story prompts. A person who loves to entertain
Speaker 1: might keep track of ideas for decorps, food, or waves
Speaker 1: of fostering interactions among guests. A poet or novelist might
Speaker 1: keep a list of images, situations, or insights that captured
Speaker 1: her attention. Even if you don't have a specific outlet
Speaker 1: for the ideas in mind, I think there can be
Speaker 1: value in recording interesting ideas anyway. Keeping a one line
Speaker 1: ideal list can make you a keener observer and can
Speaker 1: foster reflection or imagination. You might be able to start
Speaker 1: interesting conversations with people or draw new connections when you
Speaker 1: see something else in the future. There's no need to
Speaker 1: make this list fancy. You can keep it in a
Speaker 1: notebook or on your phone, perhaps in Apple notes. As
Speaker 1: Serena explains, the benefit is simply in the act of
Speaker 1: stopping recognizing moments of interest and meaning, rather than just
Speaker 1: plowing through your day without much reflection. Maybe the ideas
Speaker 1: you save will end up serving as seeds for your
Speaker 1: work in the future, but regardless, they'll make you more
Speaker 1: sensitive to life as it is going on. If you
Speaker 1: try keeping a one line ideal list, I'd love to
Speaker 1: hear about how you track your ideas and what you
Speaker 1: do with them. You can reach me at Laura at
Speaker 1: Laura vandercam dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura.
Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of
Speaker 1: our time. Thanks for listening to Before Breakfast. If you've
Speaker 1: got questions, ideas, or feedback, you can reach me at
Speaker 1: Laura at Laura vandercam dot com. Before Breakfast is a
Speaker 1: production of iHeartMedia. For more podcasts from iHeart, please visit
Speaker 1: the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to
Speaker 1: your favorite shows.