Why I Write: Lists
A couple of nights ago, my seven-year-old grandson was carefully writing a list in his school notebook. When I looked over his shoulder, I noticed that his list was a mish mash of things to do, things he wants, and people he likes. I inquired. His mother told me that making lists is how he practices his penmanship without a fuss. Not only is he creating something useful rather than just making repetitious letter shapes, Alex is putting the letter shapes into words that make meaning and he is making choices of what to include and what to exclude. When he finished the list, he handed the notebook to his mother. Each item on the list then became a talking point for thoughtful conversation between parents and child.
As my years have increased my memory has decreased and no longer holds lists of many things without dropping or losing some of them. Grocery lists, things I have to get done, pieces I want to write, and so on are part of my daily writing. And yes, lists are a writing genre and do have a spot on that growing list of writing genres.
In addition to having a genre all their own, lists also show up regularly in other genres. For instance, in Walter M. Miller Jr.’s novel, A Canticle for Leibowitz, a man on the phone with his wife makes a list of things to pick up from the grocery store on his way home from work. The list becomes a holy relic after an apocalypse. In the Prologue to The Canterbury Tales, Chaucer lists the pilgrims traveling to Canterbury and adds a very personal description of each. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, Polonius, in advice to his son, lists virtues Laertes should follow as he makes his way in Paris.
A quick glance in the Amazon book section gleans many offerings of books to help one make a list; expand it; and, in some cases, live by it. I went to Amazon to find the title of a book I purchased more than ten years ago that was nothing more than pages of lists the author had found. My copy is lost and I wanted to use examples in this piece, but that book was not listed in the Amazon collection. The lists were often short, just a few items, but I found them interesting to pore over and to wonder who might make such a list and how the list came to be left behind — abandoned after it had served the purpose of reminding its creator of what to pluck from the grocer’s shelves or chores or errands that needed to be done. Some were funny and some were serious. These were not the same as the entries in The Book of Lists, a compilation of facts and trivia that is updated on a semi-annual basis.
My own lists have not yet gained that prominence although some of them may be destined for more than a place in a drawer or a page in a cooking notebook. I recently invited some old friends to lunch. Out of practice, I went back to my own notebook of recipes to look at menus — lists of dishes I had served at luncheons years before. Many of the recipes were too heavy in sauces and calories for today’s healthier eating choices. However, that list brought back sweet memories of a family divided and reunited through a Christmas lunch. There, plain as day, were my husband and three children greeting my only sibling, his wife and three children settling old differences over sauce-and-sugar-laden traditional Thanksgiving and Christmas fare — never giving thought to fat grams or bad cholesterol. I put that memory on a list of things I might write about another day.
Other memories were hidden in those lists of food served in days gone by — memories of friends who dropped by for a drink and stayed for dinner, weekend picnics with the children and friends at a city park or a spot in the mountains. From the menus I cobbled together a healthier lunch menu that now takes its place in my memory, waiting for direction.
My grandson Alex also revised his list as he continued to consider his choices with his mother. When the conversation ended, he had defended some items, removed some, and added others. His list was ready for publication, which I suppose in list jargon could be action and doing.
