We know that writing is the flip side of the reading coin.
Reading improves reading, but did you know it also improves your writing?
Listening also enhances your writing, and there’s no better place than when you’re in a place with lots of conversations going on at once.
You don’t need to be anti-social, but it’s acceptable to sit apart from others.
Be far enough away where others can’t strike up a conversation with you, yet close enough to listen.
Take notes, but don’t write down word-for-word what others are saying.
Listen for argot vocabulary to lend authenticity.
I used kayaking argot to write a short story example.
| Argot = Language that is specific to groups, fields of study, slang, or technical terms. |
Short story example using kayaking argot:
She reflected from the bottom of the hull that life’s challenges were like those first few protruding rocks she encountered, and easily navigated. Then came the holes. Rapids reverse in holes, flipping keels before anyone has time to read the water. This river lulled like all ancient waters that came before it, false docility before showing true depths of danger. Nellie leaned back in her despondency and let fingertips skim the frothy surface as she neared her determined destination. She was adrift without care, in waters she shouldn’t have been in to begin with, when her life spilled into the waterfall’s resounding roar. Her submerged kayak tangled and trapped within broken limbs from storm damage, but the buoyancy of hope brought her to the surface. Nellie sighed. She knew one quick roll and would always aright her path and paddle. |
My progress in developing an ear for natural sounding dialogue happens quicker for me in certain environments.
There are some people who can tune out noisy distractions and focus on meeting their writing goals regardless where they work.
I suspected I had this ability when I could not only endure listening to beginning violinists practicing next to an ambitious young drummer on a trap set, but enjoyed it.
You may also be one of those select few who can concentrate in crowds.
Sit in a cafe, park, or mall, take in the sights, sounds, and sensory details you can use to enrich your craft.
You can combine all those details by going to one place, Mall of America, or MOA.
Mall of America is located in Bloomington, Minnesota
- 40 million visitors each year
- More than one billion people have visited since 1992.
- Easily accessible from MSP / Minneapolis – St. Paul International Airport
- Over 400 restaurants in MOA
- Nickelodeon Universe is located in the center of MOA and features rollercoasters and twenty-seven theme park rides spanning seven acres.
- Over 500 stores under one roof
I’m so excited to stop at one of the Mall of America bookstores and pick up Judy Sheehan’s I Woke Up Dead at the Mall.
I just may sit next on a bench next to a busy mall kiosk and read this book that’s been on my wish list far too long.
Title: I Woke Up Dead at the Mall
Author: Judy Sheehan
Publisher: Ember (2017) 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
