The startling amazement of how a tiny, seemingly insignificant invention can impact a person’s life for the better.

Why I bought one

There is always at the very least, one thing everyone says they need to buy or something they need to do but haven’t got around to it. Such as replacing a broken cell phone, buying the guitar you always wanted, or finally going on that trip you’ve been dreaming of for years. A tape recorder is something I’ve been needing/wanting for the past three years or so. It was an on and off want/need whenever I felt like I wanted to capture my guitar playing on tape so I could hear how I really sounded like. I got one for my dad before so I used his for a little bit. It’s an older model and it uses cassette tapes which, if all you hermits out there don’t know, are almost obsolete. I think I only used it twice. Apparently, buying tapes was just too much work for me and so unfortunately, I never really used the tape recorder.

I recently started going to school after a three year hiatus and I signed up for a creative writing class. Needless to say, I’m a writer. A lot of my friends think I’m crazy to enjoy English and writing so much but I really do. Another needless thing to say is that in creative writing, there is A LOT of writing assignments. The scary thing about the human mind is that sometimes it gives up on you especially when a deadline arrives. I either function well under pressure or not so much; it’s really unpredictable with me. My mind can either get really dry or is flooded with thoughts at a rapid rate. Usually when the ideas pour in, I don’t have one of my notebooks nearby or I’m so busy doing something I don’t have time to write them all down. I lose what I want to say or at least the fullness of what I want to say forever. So with all the assignments I have to do and all the ideas I have for stories and essays, I finally decided to suck it up and buy my recorder.

I asked a friend how much it would cost and he said around $60. It seems expensive but for an aspiring writer who wants to achieve quality work and be published, it’s a worthy investment. A friend took me to RadioShack to make my long awaited purchase. At first I thought I would get the mini cassette tape one but I figured I might as well invest in a higher end one if I’m going to use it a lot. The one I decided to purchase is an Olympus digital voice recorder. It is awesome. It also cost $69.99 plus tax, another $8 or so for the warranty, and another few bucks for the AAA batteries it needs to operate. I’m not good at math and to add it up down to the last cent will be depressing for me. It simply equals expensive…but worth it.

What I use it for

I use my recorder in an attempt to capture my fleeting thoughts. They’re often too numerous to pin down but a recorder is a brilliant way to go about it. I use it when I’m inspired and have ideas for stories. I turn the recorder on when my thoughts are too jumbled to write everything down (which they often are). I use it to record background sounds I want to capture like birds chirping or falling rain. Movies inspire me so much. Often, there would be specific moments that really catch my attention and I would adore it so much it makes me go mad with love for it. I notice that’s how my stories usually begin. There is a key moment with the person I see as a main character with someone else who is vital to the story, either an antagonist or a hero in the story. I think it’s partially influenced by Orson Wells and how he filmed Citizen Kane. He showed through the positioning of characters and camera angles the relationship between the main character and the supporting characters. The camera angle shooting the subordinate character would be looking downward and from their perspective looking upward or someone equivalent in status and power would be on the same plane as the main character. I think this influenced my envisioning of characters in a moment vital to a story or in the development of a relationship I’m going to create. After I see the image of the characters and hearing a line one of them says that shows a breaking point or builds a relationship, I start to think of who they are, how they got there, and what choice has to be made towards a resolution.

How it has improved my life

The recorder helps to document my thoughts as they happen so it’s fresh. When I start to write things down, I hold back because I’m such a perfectionist that I focus on making every sentence meaningful and flawless. It also explains why I haven’t completed a lot of stories. All the seemingly mundane occurrences that take place in everyday life have potential in creating stories and situations that are universal and timeless. All the “what if” questions that remain unanswered can be found via one’s imagination and transmitted into a potential poem, short story, or novel. I’ve only had my recorder for the past three days and already I have thoughts for numerous poems, stories, novels, and screenplays stored away waiting to be created. Before I had this wonderful invention, ideas would begin but floated away due to my inability to catch them in time. I also was inspired by a customer at my work. He said the best way to really know if you have a good story is to hear yourself tell it. If it weren’t for this lovely recorder, I wouldn’t have confirmation that my ideas are actually good. At the same time when you hear yourself, you know when an idea isn’t so great which saves time and paper on your end.

Encouraging words

Aspiring writers out there, I encourage you to get a recorder of some kind to capture your thoughts. You’re not going to have a pen and paper available to you all the time. If you’re a constant thinker like me, a recorder is very handy and it will be your best friend. It’s unquestionably best to have human companions but your recorder will be the one thing in your life that truly won’t judge you for being completely honest and for really being yourself. It will also admonish you in its own way by playing back what you just said and allowing you to hear for yourself whether you’re being rational or awfully wrong. Often times, to hear yourself be unreasonable is worse punishment than someone criticizing you. So on that note, writers out there, get a recorder and speak your heart out. Observe your environment. Transcribe its characteristics that will set it apart from other generations. Comment on current events that will soon become history and recognize that you’re part of it and as a writer it’s your duty to reveal the truth. It’s your duty to use your gift and use it well.