Thursday, July 9, 2009

There's A Story Here


We all do it. Whether we're sitting in a coffee shop of a local book store, sitting on a bench at the local park, or trolling the mall for a good bargain- we people watch.

What our fellow men, women, and children say and do- and why- is simply fascinating. I don't know why that is, though I'm sure there's an official study published somewhere in the abyss of the Internet. Maybe we all posses some percentage of voyeuristic tendencies, or maybe we're just somewhat relieved to bear witness to the fact that someone's life is worse than our own. Or it could be that we naturally seek out the happy, sappy, and overall pleasant feeling that comes over us when we see that sometimes things really do work out for the better- and there's light at the proverbial tunnel.

Granted, we don't often witness the hows and whys of the full story played out in public- but we catch snippets of something: a word, a phrase, a movement of body language. Whatever it is, something catches our attention. And if you're a writer, that something has you thinking. . . .hmmm. . .there's a story here.

This is why I write; I catch a snippet and my imagination takes over, asking those all important questions- who, what, why, where, when, and how (if you're around my age- forty something- and grew up in my neck of the woods, then you should be hearing the "Conjunction, Junction" song from School House Rock playing in your head).

These questions won't rest until they're answered, and before I know it, said snippet and questions turn into characters, plot, emotion, motivation. . .well, you get the picture.

For me, it's just the beginning.

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