You might have heard about this writing exercise from an assortment of craft books, writing professors, and authors. It’s a widely used exercise, and you can find a lot of great story ideas from people watching.
So, when you’re at a loss for what to write next, don’t be discouraged! There are lots of wild story ideas out there just waiting to be caught and developed into your next novel.
When to Play the People Watching Game
You can pretty much play whenever! I find it particularly fun when I’m all out of story ideas (or at least ones that I feel like writing in the moment) or when you’re having trouble getting into the writing mindset.
You don’t even need to have an abundance of time to do this exercise. You could be on your work commute at a stop light and overhear someone in the next car over. When you’ve reached your destination, take out your notebook and jot it down before you forget.
If you do have time, however, this can be a very relaxing way to get out of the house go somewhere fun. You can fill pages and pages of your notebook in just one afternoon.
It’s a fairly versatile exercise, in that it can be as long or as short as you want. You can take just a snippet of dialogue and write a response to it, or you could expand the whole thing into a multi-novel series. It’s up to you and how far your imagination is willing to take it!
Where to Play the People Watching Game
As long as there are other people around (you can’t play the game alone, after all), you’re golden. However, it’s best to go people watching where there’s a big enough crowd so you won’t be noticed. Imagine you’re a fly on the wall or a detective.
Personally, I like sitting in parks where there are comfy places to sit. But even unexpected places can work: I’ve overheard my fair share of interesting mid-conversation dialogue just passing people at the grocery store. If there’s a mall close by that still has some life left in it, then find a bench in the more bustling areas and take out a notepad while your significant other is trying on shoes. Ideas are everywhere!
How to Play the People Watching Game
I should preface this by saying: Don’t be creepy about it. It’s rude to butt into other people’s business uninvited, and I highly recommend NOT staring at them as they’re talking. I find it fun to think of myself as part of the scenery, though every once in a while it’s entertaining to pretend you’re in a trench coat and solving a mystery. But, you know…to each their own.
There are countless variations on how to do this, so I’ll break down the way that’s most helpful for me. I like to get several snippets of conversation down before I start playing around with it, and that way I can pick and choose which sounds the most interesting (and the less context I have, the better).
After the dialogue bank is full, I like to choose one or two that really resonate. TIP: It’s best not to follow the very first idea, as thinking of something unconventional or unexpected has the potential to lead to a better story. Try to avoid the first few ideas; in fact, they’re likely clichés.
It doesn’t just work with words either! If you see a particularly interesting person, it’s fun to try and assign stories to them based on what stands out. It could be an interesting fashion style, an unconventional way that they interact with others, or even someone who notices you (maybe they’re people watching too, and now you’ve got a whole new sort of story).
As far as writing exercises go, this one gets you to leave your isolated little writing corner and find stories in the wild, so it’s one of my favorites. Although there may be some tidbits that don’t go anywhere, it’s always fun to imagine what you can make of them. It keeps you in practice, and idea-catching is way more fun than sitting around for inspiration to find you instead.
So, what are you waiting for? Grab your net and catch yourself some stories!
Photo by RODRIGO GONZALEZ on Unsplash
Rachel Sandell 