That question: what would be your best advice for your 20 year old self?
My answer is very short.
But, first, some background.
London
I lived in London in my twenties. Always South of the River. Putney. Richmond. Southfields. A stone’s throw from Wimbledon All England Lawn Tennis Club where, once, I was a ball girl for the qualifying rounds. Paul Annacone, later coach to players like Pete Sampras and Roger Federer, was a qualifier.
Starstruck since my teens, I had a knack for spotting actors around town. Once I mistook Simon Cadell for a client. (I sold fax machines). My patch was W1 where, one early morning, I was canvassing on Wardour Street. He was walking towards me. I’m sure he could see the cogs whirring in my brain as I tried to place him. At the last minute I realised who he was and walked swiftly by. I’m sure I heard him breathe a sigh of relief!
Paris
Before London, I spent a year in Paris, studying at the Sorbonne.
I lived in an apartment on Rue de Condé. In exchange for my board and lodging, I looked after the three children after my classes. Their mother was a journalist for Madame Figaro. My dissertation about Coca-Cola’s 100th anniversary provided the research for a piece she wrote in Paris Match.
My writing life has its roots in that year. A fellow student was writing the great American novel. Every day I walked in the footsteps of those famous lost generation writers who frequented Shakespeare & Co. As did I.
I loved the Stypen fountain pens and international ink cartridges which were new to me at the time. And I adored the Séyès ruled notebooks, two a penny from Gibert Jeune, and the repository of many jottings.
Bill Murray
Ghostbusters had just been released. I saw it at the cinema with the three kids. In English with French subtitles. I heard that Bill Murray was in town – he’d stayed after filming The Razor’s Edge. After several dead end leads, I finally spotted him. Completely by chance.
Standing outside a University building, waiting for my next class, Bill sauntered down the stairs. Permanently armed with my autograph book, just in case, I charged after him and said hello. He signed my book: Merry Xmas. It was Easter.
Caught up in the journalistic dream, I decided I wanted to interview Bill. Some time later I spotted him loping along in front of Notre Dame, heading towards the Seine. I caught up with him at a patisserie. He came out, offered me half of his palmier, which I declined (what was I thinking!).
Although he didn’t agree to an interview our little chat gave me enough to write up later. I typed it on Marie-Jo’s typewriter and still have those two pieces of almost transparent yellow typing paper.
Lost Memories
Even though I was noting stuff down, many other moments exist purely as a memory. There must be countless others that are gone forever.
“It’s crazy to think how much we try to remember that we cannot remember. Our lives pass quickly, and most of what we do on a given day fades into the background of our brains like white noise. Can you remember what you did last Thursday? What about a year ago today? You might be able to take a guess at where you were, who you were with, or what general things you were doing—but do you really remember?” ~ Allison Fallon, The Power of Writing It Down
The One Thing
My best advice to my 20 year old self – and to you: write things down!
Pretty much everything else in life stems from this. I’m sure Julia Cameron would agree.
Not just the art of writing but planning our lives, outlining goals, creating strategies, making lists.
If I had written things down, by now I would have a rich resource to use in my writing. So many characters, plot lines, story inspiration.
I realised far too late that all of this content can be repurposed. That our life stories are all grist to the mill.
There are many days when I wish that the whole idea of Second Brain had become popular sooner, or that I’d stumbled across Zettelkasten and grasped the concept.
But it didn’t. And I didn’t.
Write Things Down
Writing things down reminds us of those pivotal periods of our lives. Tiny joyful memories. Once in a lifetime moments.
“What we write down is what we remember. It’s like a time capsule in a way, a lifeline back to the best parts of ourselves. A little popcorn trail of words we can follow so that we never lose sight of the path we’re on” ~ Allison Fallon, The Power of Writing It Down
Writing was my salvation during tough times. When there was no-one else I could talk to, my notebook provided space for my cathartic ranting. When I was trying to make sense of my life going pear-shaped, I filled blank pages.
Writing was how I logged my dreams. Write it down, make it happen. And most of those dreams came true.
The PKM Revolution
The advent of PKM and the day I first watched Ali Abdaal talk about Second Brain revolutionised my writing.
Although Niklas Luhmann kept his second brain on index cards, Obsidian was the first tool that introduced me to the concept of creating links. I dabbled with Notion and Ev Chapman’s process, but Notion didn’t stick for me, long term. I carried on using Obsidian with the principles of Ev’s Content Hub.
Obsidian shifted my mindset and led me down the rabbit hole I’ve inhabited since.
In 2022, while looking for a different kind of to do app, I came across Twos.
So much more than a mere productivity app, Twos helps me remember things.
The philosophy behind Twos is all about writing things down. It’s home to my Daily Log, random notes about my day, significant events, people I’ve met, opinions, places we’ve been.
Twos contains an archive of my life, stories to build upon, people I’ve met who later might become characters in my fiction.
When my Dad died, I jotted notes, nothing earth shattering. Memories. Things he used to say. Favourite places. Meals we ate. His likes and dislikes. Quirky stuff that only meant something to us.
Without writing these down, I probably would have forgotten that my Dad’s favourite chocolate was Chilli Cappuccino. That he had a habit of checking the time when I asked if he would like a drink which, incidentally, was black coffee with two sugars. He always loved bananas and ice cream. We mostly watched sci-fi together. We mocked the annual Countryfile Calendar promotion, and John Craven’s earnest delivery about it.
Snapshots
Writing things down is like a snapshot. When I read old daily logs, I’m there again, reliving that moment. The tiny details surface. They prompt other memories.
These jottings show me how far I’ve come, how much my life has been transformed. How much I survived, and how far I still have to travel.
Writing things down can do the same for you. Don’t delay, start now!
Happy Twosday! ✌️
Visit www.TwosApp.com or download Twos at www.TwosApp.com/download.