Why I write in lists:

1. I have a compulsive need to organize. If I can break it down into small, manageable pieces, I know I can handle it. Whether it is a grocery list, errands to be run or people to call I feel better if I make a list.


2. I think, therefore I write, in sound bites. It started in my college press writing class. Then began to take hold when I had PR jobs and had to write press releases and event fliers. Then I wrote the church bulletin for a while. Now I write elementary school newsletters. No one who reads my writing has an attention span over 2 minutes. It's quick. And it seems to be irreversible.


3. My world is full of wonderful things I want to remember. But my mind is so full of things to do, I can't store them all in there. I need something more permanent.


4. The world is spinning faster and faster. I can feel it. The chubby baby I had just 5 minutes ago is taller than me and making the honor roll in high school. The sweet blond baby that came next is tall and skinny and almost too big for my lap.


5. Mrs. Crowther, my 8th grade English teacher encouraged me to write. When I was a painfully shy teenager she took the time to say nice things about me. And I believed every one of them.