PEOPLE WATCHING 101

Most of us love watching people, for writers it's essential. Some say good writing is 90% observations, others say it is 90% imagination -- both are true depending on what kind of writer you are. For this swap we'll go 50-50 and everyone can join and hone watching and writing skills. Here's what you do:

1. go to a place you'll see people you don't know. Watch until you see someone who interests you, for any reason. A person any age from toddler to 110. Really look at everything about the person. Right then, or as soon as possible, write at least one long paragraph describing the person, be specific, use vivid language. This can be as long as you want to make it.

2. then or a little later, on a separate page put yourself in that person's mind and write an interior monologue as if were that person at the time you were watching him or her. Is the person day dreaming, worrying, plotting murder, hungry, happy? Try to be convinicingly in sync with the description you wrote. This can also be as long as you feel like making it.

3. Make three copies of what you wrote to send to your partners. I suggest you either make a separate file on our computer or use a notebook becaue this is the first of a few monthly observation-imagnation wriitng swaps and it will be interesting to see your own progress later on if you continue with the swaps.

This is INTERNATIONAL since it's only a couple of pages long and it will be interesting to have a look at people in other countries. Please don't wait until the last day to do this; start looking for interesting people to write about as soon as you sign up, if you enjoy the exercise, you can do a different person for each of your partners.

NOTE: Since people asked about emailing the work - I am an old fashioned lover of hard cope, but I'd love as many people as can to take part so I'll say if you want to email your pages, first PM your partner and as if s/he's okay with that. If not send it snail mail.

Newbies welcome. No recent no-sends.