About Fears and Feelings and Details

Post 1434:

It’s weird how different we all are. People don't constantly consider how strangely different one person is from the next. We celebrate it. We acknowledge it. But we hardly ever think about why. Because God wants it that way, I guess. From what you like to eat to how we look to what we want the most, it’s all over the map.

This is why it’s fun to write characters. There’s an infinite amount of traits to choose from. Why it’s important to get to know people. You don’t have to necessarily like them, but never undervalue them. The stories we come up with are built off of our characters’ reactions—the more you’ve seen, the more you’ll be able to imagine.

This doesn’t mean everyone has to be complex and deep. But you got to give the reader something to latch onto. If you’re out and about and you meet someone and they tell you that they’re fine and they’re good and things are okay, it doesn’t allow you a lot of places to go.

If they tell you they just had a heart attack or that they’re upset about people wearing headphones, that’s a bit more interesting.

If they say that they just quit their job and now they’re on the way to becoming a professional speed skater even though their family will hate them and never speak to them again, that’s a whole other level.

Details aren't always great. People overshare. And so we can overshare as writers. Ask yourself who you find interesting and why and then go from there. No right answers. Just try to avoid the boring, banal, and uninteresting. Life and work can be challenging and inscrutable, but it’s rarely uninteresting. If your world or your characters are lame, it might be on you. Or you could just be having a bad day. Get some rest. Takes some notes. Cheers and see you after.