Wednesday 30 April 2014

Eavesdropping


I have signed up to a free creative writing course through FutureLearn. These courses were pointed out by someone whose blog I follow, but I'm afraid I can't remember which one. Thank you, if it was you. Step forward and take a bow.

I've only just started, but already I've realised that most of inspiration comes from things I've heard - perhaps a cheeky phrase or an odd snippet of conversation. My long-suffering husband is used to sitting with me in pubs and restaurants thinking that I am hanging on his every word and then realising that I have a glazed look in my eyes and that I'm actually listening to the people behind me.

When I was walking through the town centre this lunchtime I saw two missionaries (is that the word?) from the Mormon church being given a talking-to by an elderly gentleman whom I heard say, 'That's all very well, but let me ask you this: do you think that God can do anything?' I wonder what their reply was. They will undoubtedly have had an answer.

Anyway, one of the first tasks on this course was to watch a short video presenting a series of images of people at bus stops, in cafes, talking together, sitting alone, etc, etc, and we then had to jot down our impressions of what we'd seen. I was astounded at the amount of detail that some people picked up on. This is clearly something I need to work on.

I wonder if my dependence on eavesdropping stems from my shortsightedness? Without my glasses, even my fingers are out of focus!

11 comments:

  1. Futurelearn sounds interesting. There is also www.coursera.com I think for free classes.

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    1. Thanks, Courtney. I'll check out that link.

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  2. Oh yes you are on the right track. Observing people is the best thing for a past time as well as for writing blogs (or books) It also helps in our daily life when you observe human nature.

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    1. I always choose the seat in the cafe that gives me the best view of the other customers, even if that means sitting in a draught. ;)

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  3. It sounds a brilliant course, Julia - detail is something I need to work on to at times!

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    1. I'll try to post more about the course as it progresses. It's only supposed to take about 3 hours a week, so I'm hoping I'll be able to keep up.

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  4. That sounds like a great idea. I'm a total people watcher and eavesdropper. And yes, it does make for awesome inspiration. :-)

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  5. This sounds like a really interesting course, I'll have to check them out!

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  6. I think eavesdropping is excused if you're a writer. I call it "research!"

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  7. My hearing's not brilliant - very frustrating for eavesdropping!

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