Taking notes and taking notes (writing my first article for publication)
There are multiple meanings for the term “taking notes.” One definition: you’re “taking notes” as in jotting down information about a subject in a notebook or a word document. “Taking notes” can also mean receiving feedback from someone else. “Notes” about how something can be improved upon. And yet another definition can be “taking notes” as in literally stealing someone’s notebook, perhaps for intel because they’re a CIA operative or maybe you’re just a kleptomaniac who has a thing for notebooks. Truly a phrase with multitudinous meaning.
I became familiar with all the different definitions as I wrote my first article for publication. (Maybe not the thievery definition, though I would be flattered if someone wants to swipe my mostly illegible notes.) I learned to “take notes” and “take notes,” and I really enjoyed it.
I wrote a short essay about a film called A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night, directed by Ana Lily Amirpour. The essay focuses on Amirpour’s mastery in blending different genres and cinematic style to create an entirely unique film, and it will be published at the end of the month in the exciting new online film magazine FilmClub3000, started by a few friends of mine and featuring work also made by a few friends of mine.
My process was unusually extensive for this piece, which surprised me because it was a self-motivated endeavor. Back in college I hated writing essays, mostly because they felt like a waste of time. But now that I’ve gotten older, I see how the essay can be more fun when you’re playing around. I started with watching the film all the way through, pausing and taking meticulous notes about the mise-en-scenes, the framing, and stylistic elements. By the end I had about twenty-five pages of notes just about what happened in the film. From there I also researched Spaghetti Westerns and Nosferatu and Iranian New Wave Cinema, among a plethora of other subjects. That took me a few weeks to really dig in before I felt prepared to write the actual essay. By the end I had taken about thirty pages worth of notes. “Taking notes” part one.
I wrote the first draft in about three days. It was surprisingly easy to write since I had an outline and my research was done. (Who knew the lessons my ninth grade English teacher taught me would be useful?) I felt pretty proud of my work, though a bit uncertain, which tracks for what I think a first draft should be. Not perfect and polished, but 85% there. Then I sent the baby off, feeling a little silly and a lot nervous because I had never done this before.
Then came my saving grace: notes from the editor. I didn't realize how much of a collaborative process writing can really be. I had assumed it was always a solo job. You write things, things get published. But the editor, among other teammates, is an essential collaborator in the work. The things we write don’t just exist in our own mind, they are put out there for others to read and we need at least one other pair of eyes to review and give feedback before we release our work into the world. My editor gave me wonderful notes. Things to more deeply elaborate. Questions to consider. Tweaks to structure that make the piece more cohesive. I couldn’t have been more pleased to received feedback and guidance from someone else, because otherwise, I felt like I was taking stabs in the dark. “Taking notes” part two, elevated good to better.
I’m so glad I had the opportunity to write about something I love and I get to share it! I’m grateful for the chance and I had so much fun. I want to do more!