Way back on April 1st, I posted my first Writing Lesson. In it, I encouraged you to do a bungee jump. Okay, so it wasn’t the most conventional of writing lessons, but it had a point. If you haven’t read it and you’re an aspiring writer, I encourage you to go check it out. We’ll all wait here until you get back.
If you have already read it, then you’ve probably been eagerly awaiting lesson 2 for some months. Well, here, at last, it is. Sit back, read, and contemplate the wisdom of …
Barry’s Writing Lesson #2: Use Public Transport
There are many reasons for the aspiring writer to use public transport. It’s cheaper than running a car, for one. It’s environmentally friendly, for another.
More important than your finances or the future of Planet Earth, though, is the fact that using public transport can dramatically improve your writing.
“But how?” I hear you say (because I have a WordPress plugin which lets me hear through your computer’s microphone). Well settle down, I’m about to explain all.
Virtually all of life’s rich tapestry can be found on public transport. I have overheard conversations on buses which have inspired entire novels. The second screenplay I ever wrote – MAKING A KILLING – featured two characters who were based on a couple of lads I was unfortunate enough to sit behind on a train from Inverness to Aberdeen.
Even if the bus or train you’re on is completely silent, take a look at the people on board – don’t stare, though, they’ll think you’re a nutter. Ask yourself questions about them. Why is the guy in the suit holding onto a tatty old rucksack? How did the woman across the aisle end up with her arm in a sling? Why is the little boy at the next table crying?
Make up your own answers based on what you see. Flesh the more interesting ideas out. Team two or more passengers together and figure out what kind of scenario could bring them together in the world outside the bus or train.
The more you embellish the details, the more your characters will stray away from the probable reality of the people on board. That’s fine. You’re not trying to accurately figure out who these people are, you’re just using them as a springboard to creating characters.
So that’s it. Writing Lesson #2. It was short, but hopefully it’ll help some of you come up with new characters, and from those will spring new stories to dazzle and enthrall us all.
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March 13th, 2010 at 8:27 pm
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