A Writer-wannabe.
I say this only because when I met her, she was excited about writing and excited about having gone to school to learn to write. This is exactly where the problem started. Learning to write is like learning to walk. Everyone can walk and everyone can write. However, the issue became evident from the moment I spoke to her about my writing process.
Number one, she was in serious need of creativity. She said it would take her two years to finish a script. Something that is going to take you that long is certainly not being inspired by anything. Argue with me until the cows come home. However, in my humble opinion, anything that takes 50 revisions and 2 years to write and is not based on some deep-rooted research is not gonna be a good story.
I Explained.
We watched people around us and came up with scenarios. We watched a couple who seemed to have recently met. We observed another group of ladies out for a night on the town. We also checked out an older couple who were clearly married and very comfortable with each other.
I explained that we could make a story and do a short or even a long synopsis within an hour of these observations. We could turn this night into a drama, a horror, or an inspiring love story.
As I began to unravel my story of what could happen around us, she saw her world open up. It was like a curtain being pulled aside and she saw the light. As I mentioned many times, I have never formally gone to school for writing, but I have written a lot. I am not a Hollywood writer and maybe I would suck as one. However, she got the point and the inspiration.
Inspiration
This is what was lacking for her. I love to people-watch and see things create themselves before our eyes. A young couple that seemed to have recently met. Watching the body language of the individuals involved and assessing the damage or the interaction during the dinner conversation.
This couple we observed were new or may have even met that night. The woman was often leaning back while the man was always leaning forward. He was on the edge of his seat for an hour. He was engaged in the conversation, while the woman was in and out. Her elbows would briefly touch the table and lean back again. She was not interested in what he had to say.
The old couple we witnessed on the lounge chairs were very comfortable with each other watching the sunset. We created a story with the man and the woman and then moved on to the next group.
Girls Night Out
This group was fun. Interacting with each other and having a blast. While watching all this we came up with a short movie sort of. How about if these characters interacted when the man went to the toilet and bumped into one of the women from the girls night? Maybe he could sense that the woman he was with was not interested. How about the uninterested woman and the man who felt the date was off, they both agreed and left. What if the woman had an accident just as they were exiting the parking lot.
Suddenly the man of no interest comes to the rescue and the woman begins to question her original assessment of this man. However, the man had already exchanged numbers with one of the women from the girl’s night out.
Suddenly we had a story and by adding in the woman as a single mom, she may now introduce her child to the man when he took her home from the accident. The child could be thrilled to meet a possible father figure who may or may not want this woman because of their uneventful first meeting. The man could be stuck between two women and so forth.
The point was inspiration that they did not teach in school. This happens to be the downfall of the education system. My meeting with this individual turned out to be an inspirational event rather than just a meeting. I always say I love to help people. Did I help, confuse, or open someone’s eyes to the world… It remains to be seen.
