Writing Book 4 · Lesson 26

Notes that survive a week

Notes must stand alone once the source and the memory are gone.

What it is

Notes written in single words make sense while the lesson is fresh and are useless a week later, because the word was only a reminder of a thought you no longer have. Notes that survive carry the THOUGHT, not the reminder — usually a phrase with a verb in it.

Watch it built

1
A note that made sense at the time.
  A. water
2
Ask what you meant. Say the whole thought out loud.
I meant that plants close their leaf pores to hold water in.
3
Write the thought, not the reminder.
  A. Plants close leaf pores to keep water in

One more

A. trade
↓
A. Traders carried goods along the Silk Road for centuries
Remember
If the note is one word, it will not survive. Give it a verb.
Ask yourself: “Would a classmate understand this without me?”

Remember

Notes you can still use next week.

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