There’s a Story in Front of Your Face and Within Earshot
I bet you notice more than you think. You see things. Hear things. Experience things. These “things” can be valuable gems for your writing. They are a gift to your readers if you learn to incorporate them in the right way, but you have to recognize them in the first place.
When I attended the GoodLit Writers Retreat last August (see Aug 20), our mentor author encouraged us to listen to conversations (he used the word “eavesdrop,” but I’m too chicken to say that) and learn to observe people around us to glean info for character development and crafting realistic dialogue. I’ve since become a version of Harriet the Spy as my radar hones in on the action in front of my face as well as the words I hear people speak. I notice their tone, body language, and more subtle nuances. Then, I take this “material,” sift through it and consider using a version of it in my writing.
Some stand-up comedians are masters of this and I admire their ability to recognize the mundane, find the humor in it, and deliver it to their audience in a clever, exaggerated, or sarcastic way. Comedian Sid Caesar said: “Comedy has to be based on truth. You take the truth and you put a little curlicue at the end.” Brilliant.
What this means for a writer is that we are never out of material. Never ever. We just need to open our eyes and ears and we will find the beginning (or a mere line) of a story.
This happened to me recently as a scene unfolded in front of my face that tickled me. I plan on weaving it into a future story somehow:
A young dad walked past me at an outdoor charity event. Following behind him in duckling formation were three little girls–sisters, no doubt–in sundresses. I guessed their ages to be around seven, five, and three. They waddled behind their daddy, heads turning this way and that, eyes wide, and minds distracted. I watched them gaze upward as remote control airplanes flew noisily overhead. They looked sideways and noticed the scruffy dog perched on the lap of the man sitting next to me. When the youngest girl spied the bounce houses in the near distance, she was so enthralled that she forgot to pick up her feet and nearly stumbled onto the uneven, grassy earth. As they soaked up their surroundings, the girls began to lag behind their paternal leader. He seemed to sense this and glanced back to check on his brood. After confirming his suspicions, he called after them in a sing-songy tone with a hint of exasperation, “Come on, ladies. Keep up!”
“Come on, ladies.” Oh, I’m using that. That’s good.
Of course, we also draw material from our personal lives and experiences. In writing my book, LaDelle and Jubilant (soon to be released!), I drew on some characteristics of a relative of mine (now deceased) and infused them into one of the main protagonists. Also, I borrowed the phrase “I like things in apple-pie order” from an old letter I read written by my great-grandfather to my dad when he was a boy. I thought it was fun, so I used it in my story.
Brendan Slocumb wove many personal experiences into his entertaining whodunit novel, The Violin Conspiracy. In addition to being an author, Slocumb is a Black man and an accomplished violinist. Ray McMillian, the main character in the novel, is also a Black, violin-playing, classical musician who is confronted several times in the story with racism and the prejudice people hold regarding a person of color defying their ignorant assumptions and stereotypes. In the Author’s Note section of the book, Slocumb shares that some of the material he used came from his true-life experiences. He infused it into his story in ways that are thought-provoking and gut-wrenching.
An author with a completely different style that does this so well is Sean Dietrich. I love the way he weaves his experiences with the quirkiness and humor of humanity in his books. To get a taste of his writing, check out his delightful blog: https://seandietrich.com.
And you, dear writer, dear creative one–you, too, can draw on the stories that are right in front of your face and within earshot as well as your personal experiences. Sometimes there is something meaningful there if you’ll just recognize it. Notice the funny or beautiful or thought-provoking and share it as only you can.