People Watching - Tumblr Posts
I love people. Everybody. I love them, I think, as a stamp collector loves his collection
- The Unabridged Journals of Sylvia Plath
I have to go on a plane tomorrow to visit family so that means i will be spending a considerable amount of time at an airport waiting, and i have the BIGGEST urge to be a little weirdo and entertain the people that are people watching because why not but I havent a clue what i should do and to be honest i should be packing instead of typing this. oh look the cats sitting on my suitcase!
i have recently started a babysitting job, and i pick the kid up from the bus stop, and it’s a popular school bus, so lots of parents are waiting too. and they’re waiting with their littler kids, and every day that k have been waiting here for the kid, i watch tribes of parents and little children go into the local convenience store and all come out with ice blocks and ice creams no matter it’s raining or windy.
and it just makes me feel so warm. i dunno why. it just seems so cute and wholesome and human
Conan Gray’s timing for songs is literally IMMACULATE every time like somehow he releases a song about a feeling I’m feeling WHILE I’m feeling it???
mans is a telepath no pun intended
screw you conan gray. I never wanna listen to footnotes again that shit has me ugly crying wtf .
i hate how i havent been alive for an inconceivable majority of humanity’s existence. i want to see
I’m a sucker for sad song bridges 🎶
Things that made me happy today:
The girl with an uno reverse card in her lanyard
The mom reading storybooks to her kid on the train
The trees are finally turning green
My partner leaving trinkets and stuffed animals for me to find in the morning because they leave for work before I wake up
My favorite book in my backpack
I want to be able to enjoy something as purely and unapologetically as all the nice moms on the train playing candy crush on their iPads.
Good morning to all five of my friends there were two (2) dogs on the train and also a tortoise in a pink basket wrapped in a plush blanket and it made my day that is all thank you have a nice day
Ten minute write while I wait for my train day 3/?
I really hate the subway. It’s grimy. It’s often late. It’s loud as hell and overwhelming. It’s filled with weird people who stare at me or try to talk to me. It’s not actually all that cheap, though it is much cheaper than driving.
Every so often I see people on the train I know I’ll never see again. And then I see them again the next day, or a few weeks later, or a month or two later. I wonder if they remember me the way I remember them. The girl with the black and red hair and striking eyes and big headphones. The tall woman with the cream colored dress. The man who spent the whole hour-plus ride sitting up straight, staring straight ahead, looking at nothing, listening to nothing, his hands folded neatly in his lap. I wonder who I would be to them. The girl fiddling with her rings? The girl giggling at something on her podcasts? The girl who smiled at them on their way home? I wonder.
If the train was made of little moments like this, tiny connections where the world is suddenly cozier because oh right, I have seen you before, and you were soft and kind, then the train and I might get along better. But instead it clangs the loudest bell I’ve heard and it echoes through the tunnel and I cover my ears like a child while it approaches.
It is something I do not miss on weekends or holidays. But sitting here, watching the town fly by, I find myself wondering about the mother and her young daughter who used to read to one another every morning. I hope they are happy. I doubt they think about me.
I needed a break, so now I’m on the train back from my parent’s house in the woods. It’s sunny for the first time in a long time and even though it’s cold and windy, the blue sky is a relief and the sun on my face is helping me to feel real again.
I’ve got things to do when I get home, and I’ve missed my husband, but for now I share this in-between space with the people around me.
Maybe it’s the space I’ve had so far, or the meditating, or the breakfast I had this morning, but today, the sky looks bluer than it has in a while.
How People Watching Improves Your Writing
Sensory detail.
When I was fourteen or fifteen, I liked to draw. I’d look up internet tutorials on how to draw the human figure, and nearly all of them suggested going outside and sketching anyone who goes by. Not only was this relaxing, but I noticed my art style become more realistic over time. I think we can apply similar concepts as writers to improve sensory description.
How to practice: Try writing down specific details about the people you see. How is their walking gait? What does their voice sound like? What quirks about them stand out as you observe them? Write down descriptions using all of the senses (except maybe taste) and, over time, you’ll notice your words become more lively.
Observation.
You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to benefit from observation skills. Writing stories is all about noticing connections and seeing the extraordinary in ordinary life. People watching can boost your ability to notice little details and recognize them as important, and it can help you sense patterns more easily.
How to practice: In this case, remember once again that you are not Sherlock Holmes. Don’t assume that you know a person’s life story based on what socks they’re wearing (and definitely don’t try making such assumptions with friends or family).
Try to take in people who pass by and the small, unique details about them. Notice how they’re interacting with other people and the world around them. Think about why that might be and write down any thoughts or connections that interest you.
Freewriting.
Writing first drafts can paralyze anyone. We all know that getting the words out is the first, most important step, but that can feel like torture sometimes. If you’re a hesitant writer, freewriting can help you feel less self-conscious when writing and jot down thoughts or impressions as they come. Other exercises can help you with editing later on, but you can’t get there unless you freewrite.
How to practice: Write down anything that strikes you without worrying whether it’s important or you’ll use it later. I like to focus on one person per minute and during that time, write anything that I find interesting. Once the sixty seconds are up, I move onto another person and continue that cycle as long as I want to keep going. With time, you’ll get faster and may notice that words come more easily.
Creativity.
In the book Stargirl, one of my favorite parts is when Stargirl and Leo go to the park and play a game where they make up stories about the strangers they pass. As they connect together little observations, they create vivid backstories that may not necessarily be true, but that’s not the point. What matters is stretching their minds.
How to practice: Play this game for yourself. Pick a person at random and, piecing together little details you notice about them, give them a backstory. What are they doing, and where are they going (both right now and in the long-term)? Why are they hurrying so quickly to wherever they’re going or walking almost aimlessly along? Don’t worry about getting it “right” so much as creating an interesting story for this person.
Empathy.
Developing empathy as a writer is so important, though not often talked about. If you can put yourself in the shoes of another person and consider what complexities, challenges, and little joys life holds for them, you will create emotionally powerful pieces. People watching helps train your eye to notice those around you more and remember that yours is not the only voice in the world.
How to practice: Remember the definition of the word “sonder:” the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. Look for those complexities. Notice relationships. Notice facial expressions and emotions. Don’t just look at them but see them, and write down what strikes you about them.
How People Watching Improves Your Writing
Sensory detail.
When I was fourteen or fifteen, I liked to draw. I’d look up internet tutorials on how to draw the human figure, and nearly all of them suggested going outside and sketching anyone who goes by. Not only was this relaxing, but I noticed my art style become more realistic over time. I think we can apply similar concepts as writers to improve sensory description.
How to practice: Try writing down specific details about the people you see. How is their walking gait? What does their voice sound like? What quirks about them stand out as you observe them? Write down descriptions using all of the senses (except maybe taste) and, over time, you’ll notice your words become more lively.
Observation.
You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to benefit from observation skills. Writing stories is all about noticing connections and seeing the extraordinary in ordinary life. People watching can boost your ability to notice little details and recognize them as important, and it can help you sense patterns more easily.
How to practice: In this case, remember once again that you are not Sherlock Holmes. Don’t assume that you know a person’s life story based on what socks they’re wearing (and definitely don’t try making such assumptions with friends or family).
Try to take in people who pass by and the small, unique details about them. Notice how they’re interacting with other people and the world around them. Think about why that might be and write down any thoughts or connections that interest you.
Freewriting.
Writing first drafts can paralyze anyone. We all know that getting the words out is the first, most important step, but that can feel like torture sometimes. If you’re a hesitant writer, freewriting can help you feel less self-conscious when writing and jot down thoughts or impressions as they come. Other exercises can help you with editing later on, but you can’t get there unless you freewrite.
How to practice: Write down anything that strikes you without worrying whether it’s important or you’ll use it later. I like to focus on one person per minute and during that time, write anything that I find interesting. Once the sixty seconds are up, I move onto another person and continue that cycle as long as I want to keep going. With time, you’ll get faster and may notice that words come more easily.
Creativity.
In the book Stargirl, one of my favorite parts is when Stargirl and Leo go to the park and play a game where they make up stories about the strangers they pass. As they connect together little observations, they create vivid backstories that may not necessarily be true, but that’s not the point. What matters is stretching their minds.
How to practice: Play this game for yourself. Pick a person at random and, piecing together little details you notice about them, give them a backstory. What are they doing, and where are they going (both right now and in the long-term)? Why are they hurrying so quickly to wherever they’re going or walking almost aimlessly along? Don’t worry about getting it “right” so much as creating an interesting story for this person.
Empathy.
Developing empathy as a writer is so important, though not often talked about. If you can put yourself in the shoes of another person and consider what complexities, challenges, and little joys life holds for them, you will create emotionally powerful pieces. People watching helps train your eye to notice those around you more and remember that yours is not the only voice in the world.
How to practice: Remember the definition of the word “sonder:” the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid and complex as your own. Look for those complexities. Notice relationships. Notice facial expressions and emotions. Don’t just look at them but see them, and write down what strikes you about them.