I don’t know about you, but when I’ve got a story in my head, it follows me everywhere. No matter where I go.

I’m at a restaurant:  I see potential “looks” for the characters. I’m listening in to conversations to see if I can snag a bit to put in for realism. I watch how people interact and see how I would describe it in words. I try to order for each of my characters to see what and how they would order. (It takes me a while to choose my OWN food! hahaha)

I’m the passenger of a car:  I let the music flow over me and let it create “feelings” that I want to use for my story. I listen to bits of lyrics to lead me to scene or moment ideas. I concentrate on particular characters and imagine what they would see out the window and what they would be thinking about. I imagine conversations that may or may not make it into the final draft.

I’m at the day job:  I look at strangers and imagine what they do with the rest of their day. Where do they live? What kind of family life do they have? What is their belief system? Do they have quirks for me to grab and write down? Do they say anything with a peculiar speech pattern that I should pick up for someone in my fictional world? I listen to their accents (there are SO many different quirks in how people say different words!). I watch their relationships and how they treat each other.

I’m at the gym:  I’ve been amazed at how much you can pick up from people by how they behave while working out! Some choose to not even make eye-contact. Some are constantly searching for someone to connect with. Some are there to GET IT DONE! Some just dilly dally along with no apparent goal. There are those that stick to one machine and seem out of sorts if they can’t get to it. Some come alone. Some have to bring a friend.

There is so much out there for a writer to use.

Right now, I’m hearing a large truck rumbling by outside with an odd tire making a kind of thumping noise. Not exactly a flat tire sound, but something isn’t quite right. The sound grows and fades as the truck makes its way to the destination set up by the dispatcher. The driver is just doing his job and has very few choices in where he goes and what time he gets there.

What can you use in the world around you today as a writer?