Why Writers Should Be Nosy
The best material is often right in front of you
People watching and eavesdropping in public places are free, easy, and can yield excellent material for writers. Just be a little nosy, and you may get some gems to weave into your work. I’m a shameless observer and encourage you to become one, too.
This creative snoopery can take place anywhere at any time. Here are a few of my favorites.
Of diners and discount stores
I live in New Jersey where diners are king. Looking for a place that has hundreds of things on the menu? Diners have you covered. The eavesdropping is mighty fine also.
A few years back I was out to lunch with family. A middle-aged woman lurched into a booth just a few away from ours. She wore an arm sling and had impressive hair and makeup for someone with half of her arms out of commission. In a desperate tone, she lamented to her server that she needed to get better, and fast. She explained that she puts Christmas trees in every room of her house and needs two arms to do it. The quote of the day?
“If you’re sitting on the toilet at my house, you can see a Christmas tree.”
This is gold. I immediately took note of it in my phone for future reference. When would I need this information and use it? Who knows? I just knew at the time that it was important. Here I am now, sharing it with you as advice to start being nosy as a writer.
When my husband and I were dating, which was 30+ years ago, we frequented another diner. One of the waitresses there had a gravelly voice, presumably from decades of smoking. She wore earrings made of red dice that swung from gold-plated chains. We took to calling her Snake Eyes. Gruff yet efficient, Snake Eyes was our favorite waitress and potentially a character someday in one of my stories.
Similarly, personal dramas unfold in Walmarts and Walgreens. My ears perk up at one-sided conversations bellowed into Bluetooth headphones. Am I wrong to stand in the next aisle and listen? I’m just looking at towels and toothpaste. I can’t help it if folks are airing their grievances in Aisle 7.
Sometimes, a mere glimpse of someone creates a striking snapshot in my mind. I’ve seen an old man in a fisherman’s cap with a folding chessboard in hand, ambling through a modern, gleaming shopping mall. He seemed a relic of a simpler time. The juxtaposition of his presence with massage chairs and neon lights was intriguing, so I wrote it down.
Watch people. Listen to them. Make mental notes. Let’s face it — if people are going to speak loudly enough in public that I can hear them, they’re fair game to become material in a work of fiction or an article like this.
Inspiration is everywhere
Aside from eavesdropping in diners and people-watching in public places, social media is a good place to draw inspiration. I look for news stories, quotes, and photographs that I can glean from.
I’ve seen photos of a three-legged Chihuahua named Frida Khalo dressed in a tutu. This could be useful.
I reently saw the story of a mule-riding man called “Cowboy Cody” who released a raccoon into a bar as retribution for not being allowed on the premises. You really can’t make that up.
Stories from national news or the personal lives of people posting online can serve as a springboard for creative interpretation in a work of fiction. Of course we should change names and be sure not to plagiarize written content.
Our everyday lives
My own kids say and do crazy things. When getting dressed for basketball practice some years ago, my then eight-year-old son donned a bushy false mustache along with his uniform jersey. “I could have been a sea captain,” he sighed as we loaded up into the car. Tears of laughter erupted upon hearing this.
Lots of gems are out there just waiting to be mined. Look at the weird array of things in people’s carts at the grocery store. Imagine what the guy who looks like Elvis strolling the block on yard sale day must do for a day job.
Yes, there really is an old guy who looks like Elvis and walks a Boston Terrier around on yard sale day in my community. I’m not lying — he drives an ancient black Cadillac that’s about nineteen feet long, and his wife wears leather pants and has bleach-blonde hair. I often wonder what their story is.
Talk to people
Strike up conversations with people you know and people you don’t. I know, the introverts among us may be dying a little inside to hear me suggest this. But guys, people have great stories, and hearing what they have to say can inspire us.
Think about the older folks in your life. They have lived the ebb and flow of change throughout generations. I remember my ears greedily devouring the yarns my grandfather would spin about his childhood in Philadelphia.
My Great-Aunt Doris was practically blind, but nobody realized it. They put her in a class for behavioral misfits in the 1930s. They thought her refusal to answer questions and participate was because she was being obstinate. It turns out she couldn’t see.
My grandfather’s brother blew into an inkwell because he saw his own reflection in the cup and splattered ink all over the desk.
In 1945, my husband’s grandmother gave birth to her first child in a car on a country road in Idaho with the help of a strange man who was driving her to the hospital. Stories like these are rich because of their quirkiness.
Look around for what you can steal from the real world to put into your imaginary one. If I ask too many questions or you see me lingering in the produce aisle, I’m probably just researching for my work as a writer. You may even see yourself represented on the page someday.
Community Garden:
Join in the conversation by leaving a comment. Let’s get to know one another better as we continue on the writer’s journey.
What inspiration have you seen out in public or online for your creative content?
Where else do you get inspiration for your creative work?
