A year ago, I was perusing the shelves of a bookstore in Taiwan. Despite the fact that I can’t read Chinese, the store still fascinated me: dual-language cookbooks, translations of English bestsellers, dramatic covers that told the tale of the contents (though we can’t judge books thus… ahem!).
Suddenly, I turned and discovered the holy grail of my three-week trip. There, nestled between stacks and stacks of indecipherable-to-me texts, was an aisle of stationery and office supplies.
Scanning the selection of stationery immediately transported me back a quarter century, à la Proust’s narrator upon tasting that rich petite madeleine.
Childhood Memories
When I was twelve years old, my sisters and I traveled to Taiwan with Mom, spending several weeks with family. Baby sis was a toddler, which left my middle sister and me as constant companions. We didn’t speak the language, and we sometimes struggled to amuse ourselves during those summer days that lasted an eternity apiece.
Our relatives showered us with gifts during this time. Partly out of custom, partly to keep us quiet. Regardless of the motivation, we naturally appreciated the gesture.
For me, the treasure of the summer came in the form of three notebooks with scented, pearlescent paper. These pretty pages offered such rich potential for creativity: I wrote poems, I drew pictures, I glued paper dolls inside.
Modern Inspiration
Fast forward twenty-five years…
I’ve completed my formal education (for now) and gone the “sensible” route, pursuing the corporate career and eventually launching my own business. Life has treated me well, but I’m still longing to reconnect with my inner artist.
When I find the stacks of tiny notebooks, roughly the size of large Moleskine cahiers, I immediately recall those pearlescent pages from my youth. The thin journals remind me of this carefree time when I was connected to my inner artist. I immediately purchase one of each to inspire future writing projects.
On that now-distant trip, I started writing a new novel in one of the notebooks. I didn’t get very far on that vacation, but my writing life has evolved considerably since then – thanks largely to many of the tricks and tips shared on this website.
Today, those slim volumes will serve as travel journals for brief writing projects like essays and short stories. Or they’ll allow me to attack a future novel in short spurts, which I’ll send off for transcription as I move on to the next journal.
Right now, at this moment, I’m excited about having these lovely visual reminders of my past to inspire my writing. I’ll share the actual experience in upcoming entries.
What “madeleine” moments have you encountered in your life? Please share.
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