About Us
We are the authors Sierra Wolfe, Tierney O'Malley, Wendy Ely, Alisha Paige, Mark Alders, Kate Davison, and Gracen Miller. Welcome to our blog. We hope to entertain and inform you. This is where we will share our writing journeys and life experiences, and maybe, share a bit of wisdom we pick up along the way. We hope you enjoy it!
About Gracen
Gracen is a hopeless daydreamer masquerading as a "normal" person in southern society. When not writing, she's a full-time basketball/football/guitar mom for her two sons and a devoted wife to her real-life hero-husband. She's addicted to writing, paranormal romance novels and movies, Alabama football and coffee…addictions are not necessarily in order of priority. She is convinced coffee is nectar from the gods and blending coffee and writing together generates the perfect creative merger. Many of her creative worlds are spawned from coffee highs. To learn more about Gracen or to leave her a comment, visit her website at www.gracenmiller.com.
Gracen's Books
About Kate
I like to read and write just about anything. But I am a sucker for a Happily-Ever-After. I need to know characters ride off into the sunset and all is right in their world. That's why I chose romance instead of another category. HEA's aren't always promised in other genres, though I do read them too.
Most of the time you'll find me at the keyboard, moving between the 5 projects I tackle at a time.
Most of the time you'll find me at the keyboard, moving between the 5 projects I tackle at a time.
About Alisha
I write paranormal, magic realism, fantasy, erotic and vintage romance. I live in a haunted house built in the 50s and love to drink red wine and eat dark chocolate while sitting in the swing out back. I love to watch my children play in the sandbox while my dogs wrestle on the grass. Does life get any better? It's the simple things in life I cherish.
Alisha's Books
About Wendy
Writing is an adventure I started at a young age but never took it serious until last year. My focus is on contemporary romance and have two books coming out later this year. Besides writing, I run a childcare, attend college, and am a single mom. Life isn't boring for me!
Wendy's Books
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Tuesday, April 14, 2009
People Watching
Not only am I a barfly but one of my favorite hobbies is people watching. Every single person has their quirks and this is what I'm looking for, as well as listening to vocabulary, slang and interesting physical traits.
Next time you stop at Starbucks to get a cup of coffee, do what I do. Before you open your laptop and start writing like mad, sip your hot java and watch for a bit. The characters in your current WIP may change before your eyes...literally! Watch the adorable elderly couple and imagine them forty years before. Notice how he still opens the door for her and helps her to her seat. Notice how there's not a hair out of place and her red lipstick is applied with perfection. Catch a whiff of his cologne and imagine them having a picnic in their youth. It's not hard.
Watch the mom toting three kids, her hair pulled back into a messy ponytail, juggling a baby on her hip, shushing a toddler and scolding a teen insisting on buying another CD. BTW, that mom is me. Watch as her husband takes the baby for her, kisses him on the cheek and buys a chocolate milk for the four year old. Notice how he pats his wife on the behind when he thinks no one is looking. A frazzled mom turns into a sexpot kitten and you can imagine what the two of them will do when the teen heads over to a friends house tonight and they put the little ones to bed.
Watch as she kisses his scruffy cheek and tells him to wait another day before shaving. "I was hoping to get some, tonight," He half whispers as he adds a ridiculous amount of sugar to his coffee. Remember, you're still sitting there pretending to work on your masterpiece when really you're recording all kinds of cool characteristics for your current hero and heroine and all secondary characters. Pay close attention. Notice how worn his hands are and the tan lines. He's a laborer. Watch him smile and see that crooked tooth that would have any dentist charging you half a week's paycheck to fix and realize that it makes him sexier. Hear the snort at the end of her laugh and write it down. It's cute. Goofy, but cute.
Watch the woman in her forties stroll through the door in workout clothes and no make-up. Write it down. Make-up would cover up this woman's true beauty. Notice the mole on her face and her sexy laugh lines. Her skin is as pale as milk but a tanning bed would conceal her glorious complexion. Notice how she sings to herself as she chooses a bag of coffee to purchase. And write down what kind she buys. She chooses a dark roasted full bodied bean. What does this mean? Plain Jane, workout queen picked the heartiest flavor of all. The bitter stuff that makes your toes curl. There's much more to her beneath the suface. You need to scratch at it and find it. Find it all. Uncover her layers and see what lies beneath.
This is what we must do with our characters and people watching is a terrific exercise when forming our characters. Remember little quirks that made you fall in love with your own lover. Write them down. Use them. There's no better way for a writer to honor another. And on the flip side of the coin, remember all the villians you've come across in life. You better believe that I have and I use their wicked traits in my books and it's oh so lovely to kill these people off. Yes, I might be a little nuts but I haven't met a writer who isn't..just a tad.
So, here's your assignment...go forth my wicked bloggers and people watch to your heart's content! Do it at a restaurant, a coffee shop, a bar, the grocery store, the beach...ooooh, yes, the beach is a good place for my favorite hobby...especially on a warm summer day. Sometimes it's X rated.
Happy Reading, Writing and People Watching!
~Alisha
Labels:
Characterization,
People Watching
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About Tierney
Hi! My name is Tierney O'Malley, contemporary and paranormal romance author from the beautiful Pacific Northwest. My publishers are Cobblestone Press, Museitup Publishing, eXtasy Books, and Silver Publishing. I'm excited to join this blog and hope to share you fun and meaningful posts. :D Click here or go to my website http://tierneyomalley.com to learn more about my books or contact me. I would love to hear from you.
About Mark
My name is Mark Alders. I live in a house. This house has a street in front of it which is a good thing because if it didn't I wouldn't be able to drive down to the shop and purchase the chocolate I need on a daily basis *giggle* Seriously, I am a mild mannered post office worker by day and an erotic romance writer (mainly male/male) at night. Not much else to say other than, like everyone else, I have bills to pay, a mortgage and family that I love and drive me crazy all at the same time. Oh, and I have a dog, too! See? Average Joe...execpet when I get down and write...then I let my imagination go to places I never knew existed and my characters invade my mind.
About Sierra
I have an Associates Degree in Nursing and work as a traveling nurse. Although, I miss my family and friends back in Missouri, I enjoy meeting new people and love to travel. Of course, I wouldn’t go anywhere without my wonderful daughter and two rotten dogs. Writing has always been a part of my life, but for many years, I thought it was only a hobby. Finally learning that I couldn’t live without writing my beloved stories, I decided to see where it would take me. Who knows where my next adventure will be? Either in nursing or writing, I will continue to look for new and fun places to explore.
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7 comments:
Alisha, I really enjoyed this post, as well as your earlier one about being a barfly. And I like your choice of illustrative pictures.
I ride the Muni to and from work and the people watching in San Francisco is always interesting. Of course, the real stories behind some of the people here are probably far odder than anything I can come up with...
Thanks so much, Dana. I'm so happy you stopped by.
I love photos. I guess I'm a pretty visual person. I bet San Francisco is full of interesting people. I visited San Fran when I was 15 and loved it! I still remember this crooked brick road we drove down. At least I think it was brick. I wonder if it's still there. It looked like a snake.
Great post, Alisha! People watching is so much fun! And add Starbucks to the mix, I'm there. :D
What on earth did we do before Starbucks? They're like the coffee gods or somethings...lol!
What a great post. You have me wanting to go to Starbucks, and I don't even like coffee. You explained people watching to a T.
Coffee gods for sure!! Man, I could really go for a Mocha Frapaccino. Yum!!!
Alisha, that would be Lombard Street! I drove down it the other day, thinking it would be a faster way to my destination. Tourists EVERYwhere, standing in the middle of the street taking pictures. Great place to sightsee, but not if you're in a hurry!
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