Sometimes I conduct phone interviews as part of a writing assignment. At other times, I take detailed notes (more like transcribing, actually) during a multi-day meeting, and then turn my notes into a newsletter.

In these situations, I’ve learned it’s best to draft my content right away – as in, within the next day or two.

Sound obvious? Well, I learned this lesson the hard way, by putting my notes aside after a phone interview and not starting to write the piece for a week or more.

Oh boy. Bad idea.

It’s a struggle to fully remember the actual conversation you had – even if you took copious notes. You might have typed every word. But once time goes by, you lose the freshness of the actual conversation.

Sure, you can still write your piece, but waiting too long will compound your effort. I’ve found that I forget the subtle nuances in a speaker’s tone or response if I let too much time elapse. The urgency, or basic “spark” of what was said, disappears.

It’s kind of like a light bulb going dim little by little. Best to capture the essence of phone conversations or presentations when they’re hot. Write your first draft right away. The quality of your content will be the better for it.

(c) 2016 Margie Dana