Making a Note

I don't like talking on the phone. I was reminded of this earlier when I was scheduling a doctor's appointment. It's nothing too serious; I've developed ingrown toenails, and recently they have become especially bothersome. I called the office got an appointment set up, and will be seeing someone about it later this week. (I was surprised by that; I was especially surprised when they asked if I could come in later that day.)

But anyway, I don't like talking on the phone. I don't like talking to other people very much in general, and over the phone is especially bad, as it distils conversing with another person to the most base component: speech. When talking to someone face-to-face, unless the person is blind, non-verbals cues can (and are) used: facials expressions, hand gestures, body posture, and if all else fails, drawing stuff out on a piece of paper. But when talking on the phone, you have only your voice to rely on to get your message across.

That's part of the reason I like writing. It's easier for me to explain my thoughts. I can go back and make edits as needed, fixing or replacing weaker points. I'm able to research what I'm talking about as I am putting it down. I'm also free to wander off and watch Youtube videos, then wander back and resume writing like nothing happened.

Writing things down makes them more solid. I frequently write things down so that if I forget them (which also happens frequently), I will have a reminder. Writing also makes information easier to store and organize. Case in point, a game I have been playing recently features (by my count) twelve characters (nine fighters, three NPCs) interacting with each other over the course of a week. Having completed it, I've been thinking about playing through again, this time taking notes on the days and times of each of the encounters (they are presented out of chronological order), and also what was said during each encounter, trying to piece together the twisting, winding story.

When talking, you can only move forward. You can reference or clarify things that were said earlier, but it's still moving forward, building it up more and more. Writing things down, you can make changes wherever until it comes out right. And in extreme cases, just erase everything, and start over again.