For several months, I’ve tried to find information on a specific location that I once drove through. It’s been nine years, so I couldn’t remember enough details to find it online–plus the details I did remember were inaccurate enough to send me in wrong directions.
In the wee hours of the morning, I took a break from writing to try again to find the place. It’s such a small part of the (next Coventry) novel, but I want it to be accurate and do the spot justice. One of my google moments took me to the page of a poet who lives in that general area. I sent him an e-mail, hoping that with what little detail I could provide, it wouldn’t rob him of much of HIS time to help me.
When I woke up and checked my e-mail, not only had he responded, but he sent me a couple of links (with photos–oh, the wonders of photography that can transport us right back to a place) to web sites that corrected my misremembered impressions.
You’ll have to wait for the novel to know what I’m talking about, but I’ve had it confirmed for me once again that poets are among the greatest gifts to humanity and understand in their souls what Tennessee Williams meant about the kindness of strangers.
Edit: WTF is up with LJ that it didn’t catch any of my mistakes during spell check? Hopefully, I found them all.
Your story reminds me of one that Anne Lamott told in her book Bird by Bird, where she was trying to find out what the technical name for the “wire thingy” on a bottle of champagne was. Like you, the universe also sent Ms. Lamottt a lifesaver, hers in the form of a little old man who worked in a winery.
The Answer? A wire hood.
I once stumbled across a post of a LJ friend of one of MY LJ friends who wanted to know the name of the thingie on the end of the blind cord. I was able to share the name “acorn.”
Funny how stuff like that happens.
So when can I look forward to this new coventry novel?? =0)
I honestly have no idea! But you can be sure when I DO know, you’ll hear about it right here. =)
Can’t wait!! =0) I genuinely fell in love with the characters in that book. I think part of it was my own bookseller experience.
That’s really nice of him. I know that I’ve had people I contacted via the web who’ve really helped me out with various questions I had about whatever. Thank God for the internet–it’s so much easier nowadays to find out stuff either directly or to find the person who would probably know the information you’re searching for.