Jacky Lang's Blog - Posts Tagged "characters"

Despite what all the fitness gurus tell me, sometimes I ride the elevator instead of taking the stairs. Yes, I realize I'm passing up the opportunity to burn some calories and sneak some exercise into my day, but elevator rides serve a greater purpose. These trips up and down buildings help me exercise my writing muscles. A quiet, lonely elevator ride gives me a few moments to let my mind wander. I can replay the best scenes of things I've written or read in my head and enjoy an escape from reality. When I've got company, elevators provide a perfect people watching laboratory. There they are, people trapped between floors just waiting for me to notice and catalog their every interesting comment, tick or expression. Unknowingly, my fellow passengers are providing me with the raw stuff of character development--those tiny details that make the difference between a character that seems interesting and one that feels real. So, I will have to get my physical exercise elsewhere, because I'm not willing to give up my elevator explorations. Writers out there...what are some of your favorite people watching spots?