In Today’s Journal
* My Quote of the Day
* Quote of the Day
* Observation: Thinking/Acting Like a Writer
* Of Interest
My Quote of the Day
“There’s no feeling on Earth quite as good as the nervous laughter that erupts when you realize you’ve survived.”
Quote of the Day
“[Character] voice is what a character notices and how they feel about what they notice.” Janice Hardy (see Of Interest)
Observation: Thinking/Acting Like a Writer
Several years ago I taught a couple of writers’ retreats on Observation for Writers. I might look up the handouts I used for those and recast them as future posts for TNDJ.
I’d all but forgotten about those retreats, but then I received a nice email from a friend (and writer) who told me that in honor of his wife’s birthday, his niece had given him and his wife an overnight stay in the penthouse of the casino where the niece works.
He added, “Should be interesting since neither of us are gamblers but … it might be a great getaway. Or it could provide story ideas.”
I wrote back, “Observe, my friend. Observe clothing, gestures, dialogue, accents, etc.”
Of course, I would never recommend taking along a laptop, not when you and your non-writing partner in life are celebrating a special occasion. Though knowing me, I probably would, or at least a small notepad.
That small bit of advice above—”Observe, my friend”—is central to thinking and acting like a fiction writer. Observation is central to BEING a fiction writer.
Wherever you are at the time, whether at a grocery store, an airport, at home, or wherever, continually hone your observation skills.
In my friend’s particular case, for example, I pointed out that even “the check-in process at the desk might be a story. Or the elevator ride up to the penthouse.”
My friend and his bride are certainly not in their dotage, but neither are they spring chicks. That thought alone sent me reeling into thoughts of time travel.
So I wrote, “Hey, maybe something in the suite or some aspect of it (bathtub, a closet, etc.) drops both of you through a time warp and you’re suddenly in your twenties again.”
Okay, so if that happens, how do the characters react?
- Are they confused or even frightened or upset? That’s your story.
- Are they accepting and even thrilled? That’s your story.
- Is the effect permanent or does it last only while they’re IN the closet or bathtub or suite? That’s your story.
No silver lining comes without a cloud attached, so what if the effect IS permanent?
- What are the characters’ concerns? Are they concerned about their friends? Their adult children? That’s your story.
- For that matter, if the effect seems permanent do they simply accept that (in light of the concerns above) or do they attempt to reverse the effect? That’s your story.
But as I also told my friend, even if no time-travel magic happens in the suite—even if the entire experience remains well within the realm of normalcy—”the floor of the casino should offer literally dozens of story ideas. After all, the characters are all right there, living their stories.” Write the stories.
(By the way, if in your mind you just heard “How do I know what their stories are?” um, remember it’s FICTION. Their stories are whatever unfolds in your head as you consider the characters, right?)
In that situation, my own writer’s mind would observe those on the casino floor until I found a set of characters who were particularly intriguing to me for whatever reason (clothing, appearance, actions, exuberance, whatever). Then I’d play the question game:
Who are they? What do they do for a living? Are they here only to enjoy themselves or are they international spies making a drop or meeting a contact? Are they influential? Are they on the run? If so, what led them to be on the run? Etc.
As I said earlier, you don’t have to bring a laptop to the special occasion and write the story Now. The good, pertinent bits of what you observe will stick with you.
I’ve mentioned before that I used to teach sessions on writing at writers’ conferences around the country.
Whenever I wasn’t actually presenting a session or sleeping (I sleep very little) I was in the lobby of the venue or in the bar, making myself available to conference attendees. One night in 1996 or thereabouts in the conference hotel bar (in Tulsa, Oklahoma I believe), I noticed an odd pair:
The first was a petite, very attractive young woman with long black hair sitting at the bar in a short, flashy skirt and a white jacket hanging loosely from her shoulders like a shawl. She appeared to be early twenty-something in age and seemed an outgoing and generally happy woman.
Next to her stood a seemingly brooding behemoth of a man in a dark, straight-laced business suit and tie. He obviously wasn’t trying to pick her up.
He was probably in his mid to late 40s. He was balding with slicked-back, conservatively cut black hair, and a fedora lay on the barstool in front of him. He wore a signet pinkie ring on one hand.
He chatted occasionally with the girl, always and only in response to something she said or asked, but he was also very attentive to the surroundings, occasionally glancing around the bar.
I was certain their relationship was neither father and daughter nor any kind of romance nor a business transaction (a gentle way of saying the girl was flashy, but she definitely wasn’t a hooker), so I was intrigued. Who were they? What was their relationship?
As the man glanced about the bar, he and I made eye contact exactly one time.
I was sitting alone in a booth sipping a whiskey neat. When he looked at me, I met his gaze and nodded. He seemed to assess me and apparently dismissed me as a threat. He only nodded back, then continued glancing around the room.
And unbeknownst to me at the time, Joseph P. “Joey Bones” Salerno was born in my mind, although I wouldn’t actually ‘meet’ him personally for over a decade.
In 2015, I wrote a 99-page novella titled A Little Time. The young woman on the cover of that book resembles the woman I’d seen at the bar back in 2006.
In the story, the behemoth (who turned out to be Joey Bones) was the girl’s guardian and chauffer at the behest of his boss, her future husband.
Here’s the logline for the book: “What would happen if a mafia boss sent one of his best, most loyal men to escort his future wife from Phoenix to Atlanta via Cadillac? A man she specifically requested?”
That’s what I mean when I say ‘play the question game’.
A pretty good story unfolded, but I’ll leave the rest to your imagination.
After all, that’s your stock in trade.
Of Interest
Struggling with Character Voice? Check Your Point of View Great awareness post, and it includes a link to a free online workshop.