tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post7183235684480544381..comments2024-03-28T05:34:42.670-05:00Comments on MAKE MINE MYSTERY: Be a people watcherMorgan Mandelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-79642000659204031712011-07-05T07:24:57.797-05:002011-07-05T07:24:57.797-05:00Great post, Bob. I've always said that charact...Great post, Bob. I've always said that characters are the backbone of novels. If you don't love or hate them why continue reading? And I have surreptitiously followed people havving a conversation just to hear the rest of some interesting dialog. Almost wound up in a ladies restroom once. Have to be careful.J D Webbhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11493382472717695120noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-13191835896559429572011-07-04T07:03:36.553-05:002011-07-04T07:03:36.553-05:00I did a lot of people watching in Philly yesterday...I did a lot of people watching in Philly yesterday. I was very interesting.Brooke from The Bluestocking Guidehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07832634751075478091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-14550099504160757642011-07-03T15:31:47.446-05:002011-07-03T15:31:47.446-05:00Great post about characters! We try to play this i...Great post about characters! We try to play this is a game on long car trip with our daughters. It is way more entertaining than roadside Bingo, or the alphabet scavenger hunt. Yesterday we witnessed a couple in a little beat up pick up truck from Maine. His hand reached out and touched her hair, she turned to him and smiled. Their beagle had his head out of the window. The only items in the back of their truck were 1 sleeping bag, 1 gallon of water, 1 gas can, and 1 backpack. We started making up stories about who they were and why they were all the way on the other side of the United States.Tyrean Martinsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15356604721537744361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-80899079524497652432011-07-03T15:26:19.845-05:002011-07-03T15:26:19.845-05:00I love to watch people. As a writer of nonfiction,...I love to watch people. As a writer of nonfiction, however, I spend my cycles ascertaining the reality of what I observe vs. developing fictional details. Great post, Bob.Little Pickle Presshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02748305695175726528noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-57766136968826592722011-07-03T15:00:49.869-05:002011-07-03T15:00:49.869-05:00Stephen, you've gotta be a little more subtle....Stephen, you've gotta be a little more subtle. Remember, any details you miss, you can just make up.Bob Sanchezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350825385315155962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-60233916834520145562011-07-03T14:06:50.063-05:002011-07-03T14:06:50.063-05:00I always notice people, especially their interacti...I always notice people, especially their interactions with others.Alex J. Cavanaughhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09770065693345181702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-49922577701542761912011-07-03T13:47:24.885-05:002011-07-03T13:47:24.885-05:00When I worked in Downtown Chicago and got off the ...When I worked in Downtown Chicago and got off the train, I'd hear all sorts of snippets of conversation. It would aggravate me to no end when the people walked in the other direction and I couldn't hear the rest of their stories.<br /><br />Morgan Mandel<br />http://spunkyseniors.blogspot.comMorgan Mandelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10118929301591850918noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-79219910562728145052011-07-03T13:04:12.842-05:002011-07-03T13:04:12.842-05:00Oh, yeah, I have a big thick folder filled with sc...Oh, yeah, I have a big thick folder filled with scraps of paper with characters and dialog bits scribbled on them. I live in a small town, and it's really funny to make up a history for somebody and then meet and get to know him or her and find how wrong you were.<br /><br />Marian Allen<br /><a href="http://MarianAllen.com" rel="nofollow">Fantasies, mysteries, comedies, recipes</a>Marian Allenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15842321321484056422noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-19530404359382006822011-07-03T12:37:40.900-05:002011-07-03T12:37:40.900-05:00I'm definitely a people watcher. I tried takin...I'm definitely a people watcher. I tried taking pictures and notes of this one woman, but her husband beat me up. So I stopped with the note taking. <br /><br />But I do have a pair of dark sunglasses I now use. So far so good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-88365013149712660032011-07-03T12:08:42.912-05:002011-07-03T12:08:42.912-05:00It's a sneaky thing we writers do to people, c...It's a sneaky thing we writers do to people, creating new backgrounds for them without their knowledge. And if they happen to be people we know, we can change our character's gender or profession, and the people will never suspect we used them.<br /><br />My favorite eavesdropping experience was at work, listening to two women chat about shaving their legs. One said, "If I had legs like yours, I'd have a guy shave them for me."<br /><br />BobBob Sanchezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08350825385315155962noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-24159361420892595982011-07-03T09:33:52.783-05:002011-07-03T09:33:52.783-05:00People watching and eavesdropping are something I&...People watching and eavesdropping are something I've always done much to my husband's dismay.<br /><br />MarilynMarilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04179984154939161530noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7041804343600978883.post-34054358810658691442011-07-03T09:12:10.321-05:002011-07-03T09:12:10.321-05:00An excellent example, J.D. It reads like a Lee Chi...An excellent example, J.D. It reads like a Lee Child's plot. All you have to do is pick up a newspaper to find countless skeletal plots to flesh out for a full fledged mystery novel. Or sit on a park bench to play people watcher. Restaurants and airports are also great places to eavesdrop on conversations. We're a devious group, aren't we? :)Jean Henry Meadhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08146960738692672013noreply@blogger.com