On Saturday I visited The Poison Garden at Alnwick Gardens, Northumberland. It was the day's must-see for me. In some ways it was disappointing - this early in the garden year (or the poisoner's year?) there was very little showing through the soil and the Guide stuck to talking about what she could point out. The plants that require a Home Office Licence were locked away in greenhouses although they are displayed in 'cages' later in the year. But some of the Guide's stories relating to the plants stirred up some memories of things I have read and heard in the past, particularly in rural Essex.
What amazed me most was that the Guide told me that I was the only person who she had ever seen making notes! Its left me questioning whether other writer's don't see the link between places like this and inspiration. Maybe some writer's find out about nature, science and folklore online. But of course it could be that others have better memories and don't need to make notes!
So long since I was at the wonderful Poison Garden! Yes, immediate note-taking is invaluable, but sometimes it’s distracting. An alternative is to write a brain-dump straight afterwards, of remembered facts percolated with impressions and sensations.
ReplyDeleteThat's a good point Jan. I'm not sure I find it distracting as most of my working life now is as a 'minute secretary' and I have honed my skills of hand writing (or typing) while the brain is listening. That sort of multi-tasking puts me in mind of something that Kate Tempest said at the Lit Fest - whilst practicing her 75 minute rap she does manual tasks such as throwing and catching a pencil. One she is doing both unhesitatingly, she knows the rap is really embedded in her long term memory.
DeleteAnd I thought straight rapping was hard enough!
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