I've been thinking of this question after a chance encounter at a Subway restaurant. I stood behind a young woman in line, studied her, and raced back to Poynter with a tuna sandwich and scribbled this down:

She wore black, the telltale uniform of a local fashion institute, and her hair was copper -- a strong vote for art over nature. Her arms were thin and pale, and I could see a crude tattoo on the inside of her left forearm -- a red heart with this script inside: "Too sad to give a fuck."

She didn't look sad.

She ordered a meatball sub and asked the kid behind the counter to slather it with mayo, a combination I associate with a hearty appetite and an indifferent imagination. Mayo on your meatballs means you're probably not sad, but that, in truth, when it comes to your stomach, you don't give a flying flip.

That's not a story. It's just scratching. A writing exercise. A little practice. A way to remember.

But it has led me back to this question: How does a detail make meaning? What does the detail of the tattoo mean, and what is my responsibility as a writer to help the reader find the meaning?

I invite you to help me answer these questions:

• In what kind of a story would the detail of the tattoo have meaning?

• What kinds of reporting would you need to satisfy yourself that it has meaning?

• Could you describe her tattoo without using the f-word?

• What questions would you ask her?

If her tattoo was in plain sight (as it was), would you feel free using it in your story without asking her about it, the way you might not ask about her clothing or hair color? Or is the detail too "prejudicial," as they might argue in a courtroom.

Please help me figure this out. 

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