People watching

Everyday People.

Smells of rich caffeine and baked sweets fuel the buzz. The click of the keyboard keeps in time with the blare of the music in my ear buds. A grey haired woman sits beside the chilled window fixed to the yellowed pages of her book. The misty air on the other side of the glass moistened the outside world. A man in a puffy black jacket pushed the door open for a woman with a small child in her arms. A smile and nod is all that was needed. The child eyed his mother with sparked curiosity. 

Two woman raised from their chairs. Their conversation was to exciting to break although the one in a loose black shall inches toward the door. Smiles and laughs, in-between tight hugs. The woman breaks away with her head turned and eyes locked to her friend. They blows a kiss and waves good-bye before she dashed through the misty air.

People watching. Have you ever experienced it? Have you seen someone people watching you? I have.

I people watch. I don’t know if it’s something that a writer does naturally or if it’s the way I am. I could be deep in thought or stuck on a scene or when I’m with friends. I can be deep into my story and then I hear a strange comment that I didn’t expect and find myself watching those around me. The above blurb was me watching what happens around me as I write. I never tried to write what I see in a room full of people. To be honest it makes me a little nervous.

What if someone noticed what I was doing?

Still, my little blurb that I started with made me release how helpful it can be to boost ones writing. Countless things had happened that I couldn’t capture because I tried to think of the right word to use or asked myself did I capture that right? If I would have written, without thought, just my fingers and eyes in tune with one another the scene would have had a different feel.

People watching as a writer can be used to enhance the manuscript. 

This is my own opinion. A tool that I have released after a while of dwelling on the distractions around me while I wrote. A child may laugh or an argument erupts, chairs fly and eyes dart around. Whatever it maybe, people’s actions give way to ideas, and with those ideas characters gain personalities.

And this is my little coffee shop thought. Thank you for stepping into my mind for a moment.

Have a wonderful day.