Ménage à Trois: How Writing in Three Forms Illuminated One Essay

By Charlotte Wilkins

Every couple of months I excavate forgotten fragments of sheer brilliance scrawled on paper scraps, backs of envelopes, and yes, tea-stained napkins, all buried at bottom of my tote basket. When scribbled, I was sure they were the opening lines of essays the world needed to read. But by the time I unearth them, the fossilized brownie crumbs scattered among them were more enticing.

Most of those long-forgottens were castoffs from my memoir-in-progress. I have a list ...