Who you lookin' at?!

I have been entertaining some real characters...in my mind.  A few weeks ago I was struck with some novel ideas- literally!  I have this beautiful project percolating in my head like a wonderfully aromatic rich cup of coffee!  If only I drank coffee...so maybe it's a wonderful cup of hot cocoa! (With whipped cream, of course!)  Do any of you know what I mean?  Is it only writers, or do artists of any genre and medium allow the ideas of their next work to freely roam around in the crevices of their mind? 

I have gotten to know- or at least meet- the main characters of my novel.  I just don't know a whole lot about them...yet.  I have sketched some details and some faces, but nothing seems to be a sure fit.  Some have the attitude or personality, but I'm not able to see their physical appearance.  I am eager to begin this project, but I realize the details of each character are crucial to the story.  So, here I sit and wait with these new characters residing in my mind. 

This process can take some time, but I must admit that I love it!  I am constantly searching my surroundings for something to spark an idea.  By something, I mean people!  I am noticing the people around me and wondering if they resemble any of my characters.  Does the couple who is meeting for lunch in the park- pulling up in separate vehicles- look like my two main characters?  Or would the scorned husband and wife, that are completely unaware of this lunchtime rendezvous, be a better fit for the characters I'm looking to develop?  I notice the crying babies, tantrum-throwing toddlers, troubled teens, harried housewives, delusional dads, and other deliciously dangerous people I see cross my path.  With the Holiday shopping season upon us the malls are crowded making people-watching better than ever!

I read once that when writers go out to eat they can lightly listen to the person or people they are dining with, but they are inevitably scanning the restaurant for a conversation to listen in on.  This is not done for the sake of being nosey, but merely as a means of character and plot development.  We see a story in everything we hear and see.  When my husband read this article he laughed so hard and as he pointed at me he said, "Babe, that is exactly YOU!"

I have seen mugs and other memorabilia with the saying, "Be careful what you say because I just might put it in my novel!"  I like to extend that further by saying, be careful what you do to me or to others around me...!  Just kidding...or am I?

Wishing you dreams to fulfill and the inspiration needed to do so!
~the sol within~
       Anna

Give it a listen!  The music that inspired this post:
~Somebody's Watching Me by Rockwell
~I Heard it Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye
~Have You Seen Her by the Chi-Lites
~Just One Look by Doris Troy
~Shiny Happy People by REM
~Everyday People by Sly & the Family Stone