"There's nothing like eavesdropping to show you that the world outside your head is different from the world inside your head." -- Thornton Wilder
A good writer is a ventriloquist, bringing to life people, places, and events that the reader has never experienced -- and which may never have existed at all. To prepare for this work, you need to learn to capture realities other than "the world inside your head."
Where to begin? Start by paying very close attention to the world around you. Open your eyes -- and, more importantly, your ears. Because a writer works with words the way a painter works with paint, become a connoisseur of other people's language. Many writers like to carry a notebook with them everywhere they go, to jot down interesting thoughts and ideas that occur to them throughout the day. Try using the same notebook to record snippets of interesting conversation you overhear at work, on the bus, or on line at the post office. In other words -- eavesdrop!
Here at WEbook, writers are putting their eavesdropping to good use. Contributors to The Snippet Collection are invited to write a scene focused on an overheard conversation. The conversations can be either a faithful transcript or just "inspired by" something you heard in real life -- or you can put your ventriloquism to the test and make up your own "overheard" dialogue from scratch.
Readers will get a kick out of such contributions as "A Pig Will Not Suffice," by Rebecca_Grey and "Red Leather Outfit" by Architectus. Writers will have a ball bringing an eavesdropping scene to life.
Eavesdropping -- it's not just for the government anymore.
Know a really great project on WEbook? Want to spread the word? Send me an email or visit my profile and drop me a message to nominate it as a Featured WEbook Project!
Today’s featured project is open to all writers! To get started, sign up for WEbook today.
-- Melissa
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