Listening: We’re Really Good at It

If you don’t like people who are excellent listeners avoid writers.

We are constantly studying people. We listen to their words, the level of their tone and the reaction to the words they hear.

Most of the time we don’t even know we’re doing it. It’s simply the way our minds work. If our mind detects a type of sound we’ve been searching for there’s no stopping it.

 

On the Lookout

 We’re always on the lookout for new characters. It could be a protagonist and their side kick or a one page character of the ultimate antagonist.

Be warn: The ultimate antagonist is one of our favorites.

There are times when we move away from listening and search for a physical specimen but most of the time we’re listening.

That seems to be our favorite.  

We search for these sounds in busy streets and stores. Maybe a bus stop or two or sometimes it could be as simple as the sounds we hear while walking our dog.

One of my favorites was the time I overheard a child explaining to his friend the delicate art of fort building. The look on his friends face and the sound of the fort builder’s voice was pure perfection.

 

We’re not nosy….really, we’re not.

We listen not because we’re nosy, we listen to make our stories real. Readers are smart and they will figure us out the second we’re in over our head. If we want to lose them the best way to go at it is to create someone we know nothing about.

I write about the kind of people I know. It’s my comfort zone. It’s my confident place to be. My goal is to entertain and that’s the only place I know.

When we listen we have a way of detecting emotion in your words. We can tell in an instant the type of day you’re having. We can create the cause of your problems or happiness in an instant and have our own version of your world long before you step out of view.

Our minds are constantly working. Trust me, I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve searched for the off switch. We find tiny bits of information and create the biggest of tales.

The world around us is our playground with parts that are constantly changing and people always on the move. Name me another playground that could match ours or offer as much fun?

How many people can do what we do? I don’t know the number but I’ll tell you one thing: I doubt they’re as good.

 

Do not annoy me

We are silent and we are deadly and we will make you the villain if you annoy us. But not all is lost. If we recognize your forgiving ways we will listen carefully to your warmth, we will search for your smile and sometimes….if we travel deep….we will see your pain.

You give us so many things to write about and it all comes down to the sound of your voice. You will never know who we are but we thank you anyway.

In the end you make our characters deep. You make them real. We could not do this without you.

Don’t mind us as we stand behind you in the checkout line or sit next to you at the game. You are adding layers to our newest novel that someday you may end up reading.

We can’t thank you enough.  

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