So, as promised, for the next few days we'll be discussing the different ways to boost your creativity as a writer as seen in the blog post, Creativity Boosters: How to Stay in Tune With Your Creative Side. Today, we begin by discussing the importance of people watching.
Before we begin, I have one very important thing to point out: when I say people watch, I am NOT giving you permission to stalk. It doesn't matter your intent, that's just creepy. What's the difference? Well, people watching is observing other people's habits and dialogue to gain a better understanding of people in general. Stalking is following a single person around in an extremely creepy manner. Writers don't stalk, we people watch. Clear?
Okay, now that that's over and done with, we can get into the fun stuff.
TO THE MECHANICS OF PEOPLE WATCHING!
Okay, so there really aren't all that many mechanics to people watching. It's not that complicated. You're simply observing people. However, I do have some advice on how to get as much out of people watching as possible.
1. Have the right equipment.
For starters, bring your eyes. Not that you wouldn't have those with you anyway but I guess you never know. Of course, if you wear glasses or contacts, I would highly suggest you bring those. But I digress.
You also should bring a notebook and a pen. Of course, if you truly want to be a writer, I would expect you to have those no matter where you go. For people watching purposes, use the notebook to write down anything you notice, how that one girl kept brushing back her hair or how the one dude talked. Trust me on this, it's a good idea.
2. Location is everything.
You're going to have a really hard time people watching without a good place to watch those people. Think about the town you live in. Is there a good cafe you can observe from? Or a park a lot of people go to? Or are you a college student and there's a good building on campus you can watch at. Take me for example. I go to BYU-Idaho so I spend my people watching time at the Manwaring Center on campus. There's the a bunch of tables inside for people to eat and talk and do homework. It's the perfect place for me to people watch. There's people, food, a place for me to sit back and watch. Perfect.
3. The actual watching.
Congrats. You've got your place and your equipment. You are now ready to start the people watching. When you take your seat to begin the watching, make sure it's somewhere with a good view of a lot of people and close enough that you'll be able to listen to how they talk(do your best not to eavesdrop; that won't make very many friends).
As you watch and listen, pay attention to the different things people do as they talk, how they talk, different facial expressions, how they are dressed and look, and anything else that could help you write better characters. Write everything down in your notebook.
I suggest spending ten to twenty minutes people watching. Less than that and you won't get a whole lot out of it. More than that and you're spending too much time watching and not enough time writing.
Okay! So that, my loyal friends, is people watching. Even if you aren't working on any project in particular, I highly suggest that you make this a habit today. It'll work wonders for your writing.
Any questions? Any suggestions on people watching or how people watching has helped you as a writer? Leave a comment!
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