Outtakes 43

Trivial Pursuit

I love Trivial Pursuit. It seems I can recall tons of irrelevant facts, but forget the important information. I have come to realize that I never want to quit learning these little bits of information. Will I ever need to know the name of the most decorated soldier in World War II? Probably not, but it is a Trivial Pursuit question,  and Audie Murphy is the answer. And who can forget losing a tournament to two guys who missed every literary question, and then come up with Tom, Dick, and Harry in response to a Dickens question. That’s the fun of the game.

If, like me, you have a head full of trivia, use it! I pulled old ad slogans for HOW DO YOU LIKE ME NOW.  What’s wrong with deserving a break today? Or taking a licking and keep on ticking? It’s simple and the reader can relate to the slogans.

Famous quotes also work. I keep my copy of BRTLETT’S FAMOUS QUOTATIONS  handy when I’m working on difficult scenes. I can research by key words or author. It’s not always necessary to use a whole quote. “My dear, I don’t give a…” will always make me envision a dashing Rhett Butler. “I’ll think about it tomorrow…” brings thoughts of Scarlett O’Hara. The point is to use whatever you have to enhance your writing. And when you borrow, don’t use the quotes in a derogatory manner. Respect the original author.

Cait Collins