Welcome Faye – reader, reviewer, aspiring writer, and people watcher.
Faye is twenty-one years old and is currently studying film and television at university. She lives in Norfolk, UK and while she has never had a book published, it is something that she wishes to achieve one day. She writes something every single day and believes that practice makes perfect. Aside from one day publishing a book, she is not sure what she wants to do with her life but would be happy doing anything that involves writing. She currently runs her own blog which focuses on books and films and her thoughts and opinions on them.
You can find her out and about on the Internet here:
Blog Twitter Facebook Goodreads
Head Stuck in A Hole
Have you ever been somewhere alone and witnessed something bizarre or different? Have you ever simply watched people as they moved around you? People watching is something that each and every one of us does. Some may not be truly aware that they’re doing it but others will seek a way to do it. It is a natural part of being human to look at others, to calculate their actions or to comment on their attire. We don’t look and assess every single person that we see consciously, but our brain takes in the information from every different person we witness.
There are, naturally, different degrees of people watching. It could be watching your neighbour from behind closed curtains, or witnessing that young lad helping that elderly lady off of the bus before getting on and paying, or it could just be looking at your friend as they walk down the hallway before they notice you. Seeing and witnessing is a part of life that most take for granted. We all see things, but there are still so few people who acknowledge the beauty in being aware.
I, for one, am not always aware. I don’t always have time to keep an eye on my surroundings as I get on with my daily life. But when I do finally look around me and witness the miracle of life with differences, I almost always feel better. Thoughts such as ‘isn’t it weird that they would even think of putting those clothes on in the morning’ come into my head, or ‘boy, I would never want to have an argument that loud in the middle of the street.’ Unfortunately, these are rather negative examples and may paint me out as being a bad person but while I silently “judge” others, I would never say anything out loud or to their faces.
In fact, these people that I watch, these thoughts that I have actually help me. Questions that occur in my mind are the ones that inspire me because it gives me ideas and inspiration. That person dressed in odd clothes could be my new character who had to get dressed in the dark because her father kidnapped her and locked her in the basement. The couple having an argument could be fighting over the fact that they’ve just lost their house due to his gambling and his debts and now they’re both scared and homeless and have nowhere else to argue.
This is why I love to watch people; it inspires me. The way that other people behave is so interesting and trying to figure out why they do the things they do is not only fun, it is creative. The other day I was walking down the street when I witnessed a man lying down with his head over a hole as he looked into it. Beside him was another man who was talking to him. With my headphones in, I couldn’t hear what they were saying but it was likely that the guy was looking at the pipes or wires that ran under the building they were near but just that one image, flashed in my mind for one second, caused a rather intriguing story to build into my mind. It was the biggest flash of inspiration I had, had in a rather long time.
So, the next time you find yourself lacking creativity, don’t wallow in your room. Get showered, get dressed, grab your notepad and a pen and step outside of your house. Walk down the street, walk through your village, sit on a bench, sit in a cafe, get on a bus, do something and simply watch the people around you. Witness the people you don’t know doing things you don’t quite understand and let your imaginative brain do the rest. We all know you can take something from nothing, or else you wouldn’t be a writer, would you? So go and do it. Get some ideas, go back to your room and write until your fingers bleed.
Just don’t get disheartened if you see nothing the first time you go out, sometimes it may take days from something odd enough to happen to inspire creativity in you but whatever you do, don’t give up. Stick to your guns and just keep looking, keep people watching.
Thank you, Faye for sharing your story with us today.
