The first year of Creative Writing, one of our modules was called 'Observation and Discovery'. You know what? The more I think about it the more useful that module was. Sure the residential weekend in Gregynog was wonderful fun with pianos tinkling away and merry old sing songs, but there was more than that. No! I'm not talking about that incident either!
The module was meant, or at least I think it was meant, to get us to become aware of little things that go on around us. Little things that can begin stories, or be used to flesh out characters. Little things that we, as writers, could steal. Yep, we writers steal real-life and put them to work in our fiction.
Wow! That's a lot of preamble isn't it? I know I waffle a lot normally but still. Good job this isn't writing...the edit would cut all of that...and this...and this.
Where was I? Oh yeah. On the train today I had a moment that made me realise there was something other people must have experienced before. That story that you have to know, or have to finish.
On the way back from writing in Liverpool last night (soul cafe...I'm there most Fridays, yes it's very sad I know), there was this couple arguing about how one was worse than the other because they could find a job. I should point out that it was the entire basis of their very loud argument. Neither of them had been able to get a job. The guy thought the woman was lazy because she watched Jeremy Kyle. The woman thought the guy was lazy because he...well, let us just say he...used the bathroom...a lot.
Fortunately for me, they got off the train before I did so I could write the encounter down in the notebook. You see the way it ended was that he grabbed her train ticket off her and ran off the train as the doors were closing shouting that he wasn't going to spend the night with such a cheeky cow. Meanwhile, down the carriage where I was sitting, the lady opposite caught my eye as the argument ended. Her look was as much to say 'thank God for that'.
I mean, sure I've got a story out of it. Unfortunately, it's not a good one. Two chavs arguing on a train about being unemployed...what's interesting about that?
On the other hand, that moment that happened at the end. The one where the lady sitting opposite me caught my eye. No words were said, but we both knew what the other was saying with the look. 'They've been arguing for the last six stops. Thank God they've shut up!'. I don't know if you've ever experienced it, but might there be a story in that. Two people who don't know each other. They've never met. Yet they don't have to speak to know what the other is thinking.
Maybe it won't develop into a story. So many of my daily observations don't develop past an initial 'that's interesting'. You never know though. It might be the one observation that spawns an entire piece of work!
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