Wednesday, July 25, 2012

People Watching

More than one writing book has said that people watching is a good way to fight writer's block. They advise writers to take a walk around their neighborhood, sit in a cafe and write about the customers, or go to a shopping mall and watch the people go in and out of the stores.

There was a scene in my manuscript that I was stuck on. It just didn't sound right, and I didn't enjoy writing it. I thought about cutting it out altogether, but the scene was important to the story; it was supposed to reveal something important about the main character and her brother. I just couldn't figure out how to make it ring true, so I set aside my manuscript for almost two weeks.

Not writing for that long makes me frustrated and cranky, and it also makes me so bored that I'm almost tempted to watch reruns of The Hills (almost). So I decided to try people watching by taking a walk around my neighborhood.

I opened the door of my apartment, only to see one of my neighbors rush by in his underwear. He was on his way to throw a bag of garbage down the trash chute. I wouldn't have minded if he looked like Channing Tatum, but he looked more like John Goodman before he lost 100 pounds. (Don't get me wrong. I like John Goodman. He's a terrific actor, and he's actually pretty handsome. But I'd rather not see him run around in briefs, you know?) I quickly closed my door and had to rinse my eyes out with water in order to get the image out of my head.

When I finally felt safe enough to leave my apartment again, I took a walk down my street. I saw the same couple I see almost every morning. They were standing outside their building with their arms around each other, kissing. What I find interesting is that they always make a point of looking around between kisses, either because they want to make sure that no one's watching, or they want to make sure that everyone's watching.

I turned a corner and nearly bumped into a woman walking down the street wearing nothing but sneakers, long shorts and a bra. Not a sports bra or a bikini top, but an actual bra. It reminded me of that Seinfeld episode where Elaine gives a female acquaintance a bra as a gift, and the woman wears it like a top and walks around outside in it. I saw several guys turn to stare at this woman, but they looked more confused than anything else. They were all, Wait, am I dreaming, or am I still drunk right now? 

It also seemed to me like my neighborhood had been invaded by a bunch of babies. I saw several women and men, some of whom were pushing strollers; others were carrying babies in their arms. The babies looked so cute, with their tiny hands, chubby cheeks, and round heads. It reminded me of how I want to be a mother someday, and I felt tempted to kiss the babies' foreheads. But I would probably get arrested if I went around kissing babies' foreheads, so I didn't do it.

I also saw a little boy walking hand in hand with his mother. She was talking on her cell phone, but he was looking around at everything on the street. I saw him watching the people yelling at each other across the street, the drivers honking their horns, the happy dogs leading their owners, and a barista offering free drink samples at a cafe nearby. His eyes were very wide and he seemed genuinely fascinated by everything. Out of all the people I observed, I thought it would be good to be like him.

After I finished walking around, I went to a cafe and wrote several pages for my manuscript. I felt better than I had in a while. I also came to a few conclusions: 1) A lot of my neighbors are weird. 2) Some of them need to wax their backs. 3) I don't think I'm a prude for saying that people should put their clothes on before they leave their homes. 4) Even though a lot of my neighbors drive me up the wall, they often give me something to write about.

What about you? Does people watching work for you when you're fighting writer's block? Do you find yourself observing people when you walk around your neighborhood, and what kinds of things have you seen/learned?

14 comments:

  1. I like your descriptions of what you encountered.

    Most of my writing the past while has been academic, but I can say a walk around is great even for that. It gives me a chance to clear my head, to then think over things anew, and to physically interact with my environment. In the interaction, I sometimes see the application of my ideas.

    In terms of what I see and hear, though, I like to listen in on people's conversations while in a restaurant or some other public space. I once heard a conversation between two men with rather redneckish accents about eating Thai Food in Thailand (I was sitting in a Thai restaurant). One loudly says to the other in a drawl, 'That shit's right out the sea, there. Freshest fish.' And then somehow the conversation turned to a pornagrphy they had both watched. It's good fodder for when I write fiction again, I think.

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  2. Hi Charles,
    It's always good to take a break from academic writing, especially because academic writing is very difficult.
    It's interesting to listen in on what people say. You could definitely put that conversation you heard in one of your stories, because it's authentic.

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  3. Definitely. Love to people watch.

    And I love your description of the couple looking around between kisses.

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    1. Hi Johanna,
      What's interesting is that it's not like the couple is kissing goodbye; I always see them walk off together. I can't help wondering if they wait to kiss each other until they go outside.

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  4. At least there are people to watch in your neighborhood! We walked around our neighborhood for an hour last night and there was not another single person outside of their house. So sad!

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    1. Hi NGS,
      I wonder why no one was outside in your neighborhood. I think that a lot of people in my neighborhood were outside because we're forced to accept the extreme temperatures in the winter and the summer (though that doesn't mean we like them). So we can't stay inside even if it's too cold or too hot, because then we'd never leave our apartments.

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  5. Oh, this made me giggle! Love your observations. And I *so* remember that episode of Seinfeld with the bra. It was hilarious!

    I love people-watching.

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    1. Hi Talli,
      I like Seinfeld. The characters were so neurotic it was funny.
      I like people watching too, as long as the people I'm watching keep their clothes on. :)

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  6. I love people watching and often sit at the local coffee shop, enjoying the world go by.

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    1. Hi Lynda,
      It's fun to people watch at the coffee shop. That's why I like to sit at a table by the window; "watching the world go by", as you put it, somehow makes it easier to write.

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  7. Your four conclusions were hilarious, and I heartily agree with number 3, in particular.

    I'm glad that your walk around the neighborhood helped you get past the difficult spot in your manuscript. I've had similar experiences when I've been stuck on something, and then suddenly a small, serendipitous occurrence breaks through the barrier and writing pours out. It's a good feeling!

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    1. Hi SolariC,
      It's easier to take walks around the neighborhood now that it's not 100 degrees out (like it was several days ago). The only thing is I'm always tempted to buy snacks in one of the restaurants or stores nearby, when I should spend more time writing. :)

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  8. Goodness, your neighbourhood sounds interesting! All I saw this morning was an elderly couple out for a power walk. I tailed them, trying to figure out if they were speaking Ukrainian or Polish or something else...

    What's this about free coffee???

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    1. Hi Deniz,
      Sometimes cafes give out free coffee in small cups, because they're trying to get people to try new flavors/drinks. I like the iced coffees best. Sometimes I wish I could live in a coffeehouse. :)

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