Learning from Listening

I’m pretty sure that “auditory” is not among my natural learning styles. Unlike the rest of the world, I’m not enamored of podcasts or TED talks. I wish YouTube instructions would just get to the point or, better yet, write the information down. (A few photos of the tricky bits, maybe, but step-by-step written instructions, please.)

A Visual Diary

Tangentially (but these thoughts are going to come together soon), I’ve been keeping a visual/comic diary for over a year. The format, per Linda Barry’s Making Comics, is for each day:

• Seven things I did
• Seven things I saw
• One thing I heard (listening to a person)
• One question I had about the day
• A quick comic of the scene from one of the recalled items
• A short, present tense description of the comic

The point is to gather lots of material for stories and comics, and I’ve found it a great way to be more observant. It creates a wonderful memento of the small, fleeting moments of life, as well as a record of very cool things I’m likely to forget.

Apparently, Listening is not my Thing

But I’ve learned a truth about myself. I’m a terrible listener. I end the day with no recollection of anything I’ve overheard or been told. (Weird bird calls or barking dogs are another matter. The exact inflection of a cat’s meowing at me. That, I remember.)  It’s a little embarrassing.

The Listening WOOP

So, in the continuous quality improvement program that is my life, I’m doing a listening WOOP. WOOP (Wish—Outcome—Obstacle—Plan) is a practice for productivity and behavioral change researched by Gabriele Oettingen. In professional psychology literature, it is called Mental Contrasting with Implementation Intentions (MCII). I heard about this in the Science of Well-Being course. (My newsletter recently alerted subscribers to this free resource from Yale University. Check it out!)

How It’s Going

I’ve been WOOPing for a week (as I write this diary entry). So far, I’ve at least ended each day with some phrase that I heard about which I can write or draw. How? I’ve set an intention and then planned how I’d capture some words. I’ve let my human companions break through my inner monologue, at least once a day. Will I come to love auditory input? Only time with tell.

Don’t miss The Big Cinch from Montag Press, an award-winning supernatural noir adventure by Kathy L. Brown. Sean Joye, a fae-touched young veteran of 1922’s Irish Civil War, aims to atone for his assassin past and make a clean, new life in America. Until he asks the wrong questions…

How about you? What’s your learning style? Do you keep a diary? I’d love to hear your ideas. Comment on the blog. Navigate to my website, click blog title, and complete dialogue box that will open at the end of the post.           

If you enjoyed this journal entry, you might like to read about Writing Daily Pages.

I started this blog thread on the gritty details of the writing process over on my Facebook Author page, @kbkathylbrown, but think I might be better served putting it over here. If you’re interest in following my writing process in an informal way, you’ll find a few posts on Facebook that might interest you. You can subscribe to the blog from the website landing page (scroll down). And subscribe to the monthly newsletter for exclusive content.

And Now a Word from Our Sponsor

Check out my latest release from Montag Press, The Big Cinch, a supernatural noir adventure by Kathy L. Brown. Order today. Sean Joye, a fae-touched young veteran of 1922’s Irish Civil War, aims to atone for his assassin past and make a clean, new life in America. Until he asks the wrong questions. . .

Find all my stories at Amazon.com. Or at Barnes and Noble if you prefer, here. Order my novella, Wolfhearted, as an audiobook, here.

Love Letters to St. Louis is an adorable letter-shaped volume of short stories, poems, essays, and illustrations and includes my first science fiction story, “Welcome to Earthport Prime: A Self-Guided Tour.” A perfect gift and profits benefit the guild’s young writers’ program. Available on Amazon and local St. Louis bookshops.

Review, Please.

Reviews, even a line or two, put the books you enjoyed in a more prominent position on Amazon and are vital for independent and small-press books to find their audience. Remember your most recent read? Leave a review for it on Amazon or Goodreads today. The direct link to review Wolfhearted on Amazon is here, The Resurrectionist, here , and Water of Life, here, or visit my Shop off the landing page menu to review at Barnes and Noble. Thanks in advance. Reviews put the book in a more prominent position on Amazon.