The Title Knew Before I Did
I had been pondering what style I am writing in, and whether it was valid.
Then my journalism degree quietly tapped me on the shoulder.
Journalists write stories every day.
Stories about artists.
Stories about communities.
Stories about ordinary moments.
Stories about people whose lives illuminate something larger.
Many of those stories contain no central problem to solve.
They're still stories.
Because sometimes the purpose of story isn't resolution.
Sometimes the purpose is observation.
Witnessing.
Paying attention.
And that's when something clicked.
The title isn't decorative.
They're called Field Notes because they're field notes.
A correspondent goes into the field, notices something, records it, and reports back.
That's it.
No villain required.
No transformation arc required.
No lesson wrapped in a three-step framework.
Just:
Look at this.
Did you see that?
Isn't it interesting to be alive?
Observation.
Wonder.
Witnessing.
Correspondence from the field.
And honestly?
It feels strangely reassuring to discover that the thing I was trying to define has been written at the top of the page all along.
Field Notes.
