Folklore has people jotting notes on a napkin in a restaurant. Sometimes detectives in novels do it. Isaac Asimov wrote one of his limericks on a napkin. A lawyer told me you could write a holographic will on a paper napkin, and if it’s signed and dated it will stand up in court.

Have you ever tried to write anything on a napkin? Fine linen might do, but then you’re in trouble. A paper napkin, though: did you get anything but a blurry mess?

Why don’t these impromptu writers carry a notebook or an index card in case they have the sudden impulse?

Topics: writing, notes, notebooks, planning ahead, immortal speeches, paper napkins, capturing inspiration