Write What You Know: Collecting Characters in the Wild

A little light identity theft to hone your writing

A Harley Davidson growls past my car while I’m stopped at a traffic light, like something straight out of Easy Rider. The driver is all in black, complete with leather jacket and aviators. The passenger clings to his waist, head tossed back, the tassels on the sleeves of her brown suede jacket streaming out behind her.

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A skeletal old woman steps out of a casino to stand in the middle of a busy pavement. She blinks into the daylight, lights a cigarette, and takes a single drag before flicking the embers out with a fingernail and tucking the remainder back into her bag. Without another glance at the outside world, she turns and heads back in.

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Three teenage boys walk past with an air of mischievous intent, each of them holding a pineapple.

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A woman gracefully navigates her way off a moving bus. She wears a long black woollen coat and black leather gloves; patent red shoes that perfectly match her red socks, red lipstick, and red thick-rimmed glasses; fat diamond studs in her ears and a silver bracelet on her gloved wrist. She checks her reflection in the darkened window before heading down the stairs as if she’s descending into a ballroom.

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A man and a woman wait at a pedestrian crossing with a small girl between them who talks without pause. The man doesn’t look down once, tuned out but not dismissive. The woman is more attentive, but in a deliberate way — as if she’s not so used to being around kids. Something about the way they co-exist makes me think this is a father with a new girlfriend, all of them figuring out how to be comfortable together, or at least trying to make a good impression.

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As a writer, I steal from people all the damn time.

Those sketches above are five real life observations I’ve noted down in the past few weeks as I’m going about my business — driving to an appointment, on the bus, sitting in a cafe, walking down the street — tiny snippets of human behaviour and interaction that stuck in my creative memory.

So I wrote them down. No reason, no particular intention, but maybe one day I’ll put them in a story, or assimilate them into an existing character. And even if I don’t, they still serve as valuable descriptive practice, honing the way I think — and write — about people.

When I talk about Write What You Know, this is all I really mean: strengthening that connection between what’s real and what’s made up; drawing from real life nuance and complexity to add layers of authenticity; replicating my perspective of the world as best I can. Because no one sees the world exactly how I do — or exactly how you do.

When it comes to characterisation, that means cultivating your people-watching skills and collecting as many of those snippets as possible, everywhere you go…

photo by Jan Antonin Kolar on Unsplash

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A momentary interlude to remind you that I post up monthly Write What You Know theories and exercises at The Joy of Fixion, so if you’re not already a paid subscriber, click here to upgrade (or contact me for a comp if cost is an issue).

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But for now, let’s look at practical ways to put this people-watching to use, and turn snippets of observation into fully-fledged characters:

How to Collect Characters in the Wild