Dropped my whole plot outline into a garbage bin by accident in a coffee shop

I was at a Starbucks in downtown Denver rewriting my fantasy novel's outline on napkins because my laptop died, and the barista swept them up thinking they were trash. By the time I realized, they were already soaked in a mop bucket out back. Has anyone else had a writing idea saved by a random napkin or receipt that you actually kept?

3 comments

3 Comments

paulmitchell11d ago

That napkin story is brutal, I feel your pain. I started carrying a small pocket notebook after losing a bunch of ideas on receipts, its been a lifesaver.

alexk6010d ago

Yeah, I read somewhere that Hemingway did the same thing with notebooks, @paulmitchell.

leo_fisher10d ago

That pocket notebook idea is honestly the best move. I started doing something similar after losing a half-decent poem I wrote on a receipt from a taco joint. Now I keep a small moleskine in my jacket at all times, cheap ballpoint pen clipped to the spine. It doesn't matter if the idea is gold or complete garbage, it all goes in there and I sort it out later at home.