On the Periphery

Things change. Life throws us curves and changeups. It's good to have a place to vent.

Thursday, May 31, 2007

How to Think Like A Writer

Do you think like a writer? To me, that means I am always thinking ABOUT writing.

For example, let's say I am stopped at a light watching people cross the street. My mind starts to wonder, Where is she going? What’s in his backpack? Who’s she talking to on the phone? Why is he wearing camouflage/a tutu/a bathrobe? Where does she work? Who is he meeting, and why? Do her shoes hurt? Is he going commando? What did she have for breakfast? Did he just get a negative medical report? Did she just win the lottery? Is he planning to troll the gay bar scene that evening? I love to juggle the possibilities in my head, to make up little vignettes, then twist them around to see how they play. Example: the girl on the phone. I imagine she’s talking to (a) her mother, who is nagging her to quit her job and follow her heart to Hollywood; (b) her boyfriend, who is breaking up with her through a message on her voice mail; (c) her best friend, who called to say goodbye before she killed herself; (d) her lawyer about suing her doctor for botching her boob job. (And what if her doctor is also her boyfriend? Or her lawyer is her boyfriend? Her sister? His mother? Or . . .)

You get the idea. Now go find yoru own "what if" and write it.

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