Lessons #16 and #17 – Oh, The Places You’ll Go! (and People Watch)

I’ve learned I need to go places. It doesn’t always need to be new places, just places.

I like exploring cities and challenging my comfort zone, which never fails to provide stories, especially when I interact with people or observe others. As a bonus, going places and people watching almost always gives me a jolt of creative energy. When I’m with friends, this usually leads to creating little adventures starring the people we’re watching, or we play games like “angry at each other or awkward first date?“ and “bluetooth headset or schizophrenic?”

To be clear, I don’t just sit there judging folks to make myself feel better, nor am I that elderly lady on the bench at every mall who stares and, due to hearing loss, loudly draws attention to freaks and bowlegged kids. When done the way I’m referring to, people watching is an art that enhances the brain by allowing us to discover, study, and play make-believe.

Skill in observation also denotes intelligence. It gives us the ability to notice subtle cues so we can react to situations/people more tactfully. Going out and observing others is when I’m at my Sherlock Holmes-iest. All I need is that pipe game!

13 Responses to “Lessons #16 and #17 – Oh, The Places You’ll Go! (and People Watch)”

Kathleen September 24, 2014 at 10:32 pm #

Skip the pipe or you will have to wear the ugly hat too. If not people will just wonder why that beautiful young girl is holding (smoking) a pipe. — Then THEY are playing your little game too. —- hahahahahaha ❤ ❤

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- Kathleen September 24, 2014 at 10:34 pm #
  
  Wait! . . . What? I just realized you wrote pipe ‘game’. What pipe game? Now I am confused.
  
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  - La La September 24, 2014 at 10:57 pm #
    
    Oh, just means I need a pipe like his haha!
    
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Carrie Rubin September 24, 2014 at 11:23 pm #

You’d make a great detective. It’s never too late to enter the police academy. 😉

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- La La September 24, 2014 at 11:51 pm #
  
  I’ve thought about it! 😀
  
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Pigeon Heart September 24, 2014 at 11:44 pm #

Haha- angry at eachother or awkward first date. Whoa- spelling awkward was awkward. whoa. that word is an onomatopoeia. no, im not stoned.

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- La La September 24, 2014 at 11:50 pm #
  
  W and k really must be joking!
  
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Lori D September 25, 2014 at 9:58 am #

So true. Meeting and observing people is also how writers come up with such fantastic characters for novels. One person we meet can be the perfect strong personality to propel a story, or a combination of several people we meet put together could blend as one awesome character. Good post, Lauren.

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- La La September 25, 2014 at 10:50 am #
  
  So true. Thanks Lori!
  
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David Stewart September 25, 2014 at 1:50 pm #

People-watching is fascinating, because there is so much variety, even on the outside.

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kenthinksaloud September 25, 2014 at 6:22 pm #

Actually I have a pipe that’s perfect (though my wife won’t let me smoke it so it sits, unused, like an ornament on my bookshelves)! I too love to people watch. I often get the best ideas for stories as a result. I draw the line, however, at stalking them. Usually 😉

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- La La September 25, 2014 at 8:25 pm #
  
  Hahaha, you can always take it with you when doing your stalking…err, I mean people watching/detective work!
  
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Amy Reese September 26, 2014 at 1:30 am #

People watching is a great thing for writers too. We must do it. We must!

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