Don’t ignore the every day

An observation doesn’t have to be….

Weird, wacky, out of the ordinary all the time. The point of an observation is that it’s something that comes across your world view. What do you see every day? What patterns repeat themselves? Do you know someone who says the same thing every time you see them? What about an object you see on a regular basis. Observe it, write it down, reflect on it. What’s going on in your world?

My Observation

I live by Lake Erie and we have several public beach entrances. It’s a great place to walk. I pass by this sign every time I go to the water, which is at least twice a week. It’s a part of my every day and it makes me smile every time I see it. There’s so much to love about this sign. It’s totally old school. The Palmwood still exists but the “Circus by the Sea” night club is no more. Every time I see that a million questions go through my head. What happens at a Circus Night club? Does it matter than it’s a lake and not the sea? What’s the food that has been blacked out in-between Canadian and European? And what is Canadian food anyway – butter tarts and poutine?

What was life like at the time when this sign was current? I can only imagine. And I do.

What did you observe today?

October 13, 2014
Playwriting
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inspiration, observation, playwriting, scenes

Did you write it down?

Make it a habit: Observe something, write it down immediately. Observe, write. Don’t wait till you get home, the moment will be gone. Carry a note book with you at all times. If that is too cumbersome, get a phone app. I use Google Keep.

My Observation

The picture at the top of the post is supposed to represent the future of Charlotte, NC. There are two other murals beside this one (past and present respectively) but this one was just wacky to pass up. What on earth are we supposed to think of the future based on this painting?

Untitled design (23)

Is culture being trapped in a box? Will the environment burn? We’re going to live in pyramids and young boys will wear their parent’s coats? Sure, that’s being literal but come on. Doesn’t it seem to lack cohesion? Perhaps I’m just a dullard when it comes to art. In any case it makes a great writing prompt. This is your future – write a scene that takes place in this world.

Observation is your number one tool

What did you observe today?

The best way to never run out of ideas is to have a consistent stream of input. And the best way to have a consistent stream of input is through a habit of observation. Make it a habit to write down one observation every day. What’s come across your world view? What did you see, hear, smell, touch, taste? Don’t worry about where you’ll use this observation. What matters is that you create the habit and you maintain the habit. Observe something, write it down. When you do that, everything becomes an idea for the future.

My Observation

Here’s a conversation I overheard yesterday between a couple:

_________

SHE: That food truck only has mac and cheese.

HE: No they don’t.

SHE: We went and all they had was mac and cheese.

HE: No they don’t.

SHE: We went –

HE: This is a special event.

SHE: I hate mac and cheese.

HE: I SAW their menu. There was NO mac and cheese.

SHE: Really? Can we go look?

HE: Yes.

________

What can you with this: This was pretty much word for word. Even the emphasis. I did not see the couple, only heard the conversation. The first thing I would do would be to create a relationship profile. Who are they? How long have they been going out? Are they happy? Why was the boyfriend (or husband) so emphatic? Have they been irritable with each other all day? Why? Is this really a conversation about mac and cheese or something else? What’s going to happen tomorrow?

Write an inner monologue for both characters. What are they truly thinking during this conversation?

Observation Thursday

Every Thursday I post something I’ve observed. I don’t know when or where I’ll use it but that doesn’t matter. What matters is the consistent habit of making an observation and writing it down. When you start to do that, everything becomes an idea for the future.

What’s your observation?

Observation: An unexpected stop brought us to a strip mall that focused on the Chinese community. All the items in this collage were in one store in the mall.

What can you do with it: There is no better place that a store that features items from other countries or other cultures. Grocery stores with food products you’ve never seen before. Devices that you don’t normally see in your local CVS or Shopper’s World.

In order to write about humanity, it’s important to be out in the world. It’s important to go outside your own world. And when you do you can find so much inspiration. I think all the pictures in this collage are easy to write about. You simply have to ask “Why?” My favourite two pictures in this collage are the heated eyelash curler (I never would think of such a device) and the soup bag. Why do I need a soup bag? Do I make my soup in the bag? Is it a storage item? A transportation item? When you’re writing about a picture, the right answer is the one that you come up with.

The possibilities are only limited by how many different ways you can answer the question “Why?”

Observation Thursday

What’s your observation?

Observation: Out on a walk I saw two boys on bikes. One swerves to cut through the graveyard. The other one says “I’m not going in there!”

What you can do with it:

Decide why the one boy won’t go through the graveyard. What’s the story? Why won’t he cut through the graveyard on his bike? What does he believe about graveyards and who instilled that belief in him? Write a monologue for him.
Write what comes next in this conversation after the one boy makes his statement. What’s the response?

Observation Thursday

What’s your observation?

Observation: Walking by a building in my home town, this was scribbled on the wall and I snapped a pic. A couple of days later it was scrubbed away.

What can you do with it: The first thing that comes to mind when I read this is “blanket fort.” My second thought is “why would someone want to light a blanket fort on fire?” That’s not nice. That is a kids game gone horribly wrong.

But then again, why would anyone want to set any kind of fort on fire? What is the message behind a fort on fire? Why a fort? A bridge, I can see. A tower, I can see. A fortress, I can see – though those are usually made of stone and kind of hard to burn. Why burn a fort? Figuratively or literally, neither makes much sense. The metaphor doesn’t gel for me.

And further, why do I need to hear the message of the burning fort? Why steal out in the middle of the night and write the words “Build a fort and set it on fire” on a wall? Those are very specific words. Those are not “for a good time call…” words. Those are not “Jimmy sux” words. This is a call to action message. This is a stand up be counted message. I’m just not sure what for. That’s what I love about it. It’s not obvious, it’s not normal. That means it could mean anything and everything.

What do you see in this message?

Observation Thursday

Out of Place, out of time

When: August 17th. A Sunday afternoon.

Observation: We have a very small horse track not so far from us. It’s actually a quiet way to spend the afternoon as it’s never busy and there’s lots of time between races. If you only bet the minimum it’s a great outing.

Last time we were there, we spotted a family. Four kids and the parents. Every girl in the family was wearing a dress or a long skirt. Every girl had hair to their waist in a braid. The father and boys were dressed in pants and long sleeved shirts. Not jeans. It wasn’t Amish or Mennonite but it was clearly a religious choice of some kind. And they were at the track.

What you can do with it: Get writing.

Write a scene where a couple discusses what they’re seeing. What’s they’re response?
Write a scene where the husband in the family wants to be there and the wife does not.
Write a scene where the wife in the family wants to be at the track and the husband does not.
Write a scene where the only reason they’re there is to watch horses and don’t realize gambling takes place.
Write a scene between a kid in the family and another kid. The kid is overly curious as to why the other kid is dressed that way.

Observation Thursday

The Cows are found. The Beagle is lost.

When: August 3rd in the car.

Observation: I was listening to This American Life on a drive (thankfully I was not at the wheel so I could jot this down right away) and the show had a corespondent talking about Swap and Shop. It’s a radio show commonly found in rural areas where people call in with things they have for sale, things they’re looking for, and things they want to swap. And one person calling into the show said the words: “The four cows have been found. That beagle we found, we lost her again.”

What you can do with it: Well come on. 4 cows found. 1 beagle lost. Where were the cows found? Who lost the cows? Who lost the beagle? How did the beagle get found and then lost? Who is the person calling into the show? What if sentence is actually code for something else entirely. I like that the best – write a scene where the words “The four cows have been found. That beagle we found, we lost her again” is actually code for something else. What does it actually mean? Who is listening for that code and what is their response?

Observation Thursday

Talking to a four year old.

When: August 7th, in the pool.

Observation: If you want to know how to be creative and never back down from your creative world, talk to a kid. Nine times out of ten they say the weirdest thing and when you question them, they look at you like you’re from Mars. You’re the crazy one. You’re wrong, and they’re right. Forget logic. Forget reality. This is one of those conversations. It happened between my husband and my four year old niece.

NIECE:… and then we met up with her friend and we went to dinner.

HUSBAND: What did you have?

NIECE: Guess.

HUSBAND: Chicken fingers.

NIECE: Um….. what’s that when you go to McDonald’s?

HUSBAND: Chicken Nuggets?

NIECE: (looking at him like he’s from Mars) No! Burger and Fries!

HUSBAND: So you went to McDonald’s?

NIECE: (now looking at him like he has two heads) Nooooooooo.

What you can do with it: I like a conversation like this because it’s so non linear. It jumps and goes in directions you don’t expect. That’s what it’s like talking to a kid. And that’s what our works need sometimes. They need to be less linear. Less Point A to point B. An observation like this is a great reminder for me to practice writing conversations that don’t make total sense. That’s going to make them more human and more interesting to watch. It’s not about being wacky, just unpredictable. Write a conversation that doesn’t exactly make sense. Point A to Point Q to Point C.

Observation Thursday

A little side note today. I use Google Keep on my phone to keep hold of random observations I make when I’m out and about. It’s important to get into the habit of SEE! RECORD! with an observation. Don’t trust your memory. Memory is unreliable and that observation is going to fade and morph over time. Sure, it might morph into something better. But nine times out of ten, that initial point of contact is the best moment.

I went looking for an observation today in my Google Keep and this one just jumped out at me. Mostly because I have no idea of context. This is a perfect example of how things fade. Usually I write down where I am and if I have time what’s going on. This one is just a sentence. Maybe I over heard it. Hard to think of the context of this particular sentence. But either way have fun with it!

What the What?

When: Who knows?

Observation: “Shut up and squeeze my tea bag.” That’s it. That’s all.

What you can do with it: Well putting aside why someone would say this to another person, start with character and scenario. Who is saying this sentence, where are they, and who are they saying it too. That alone should have you writing for days. Who would say this? Who’s squeezing their tea bag? (I’m a bag dipper myself)

Happy writing!

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