Part of the fun of being a writer is collecting characters. Everyday I pick up one or two more to add to my menagerie, filing them deep in the recesses of my imagination.
One of my favorite past times is people watching (a hobbie I'm sure I share wth many other people). I love to watch the mannerisms, listen to the voices, and find the interesting quirks that people have. They end up being fodder for various characters in my novel. Even my own quirks end up in my work.
So imagine what a collection I managed to obtain at the fair on Saturday. In between gorging myself on fried delicacies and taking in various farm animals (brought back fond childhood memories of growing up on a farm), I people watched.And found some interesting characters in the process.
For example, there was a woman there who drank nothing but beer with no food, but seemingly did not get drunk--she probably was, but hid it well.
Then there was the girl who loved her lamb so much, she had conversations with it. Maybe instead of a diary, she just told her secret hopes and dreams to the lamb.
There were college students admiring Harley's and farmers examining John Deere tractors.
Root beer brewers that served their carefully crafted brews in stands--each one tasted a little different.
There were even radio djs and announcers who, with great enthusiasm, tried to elicit crowd participation.
I not only left the fair full of food (if I don't see another fried dish, it will be too soon), but full of characters and brimming with ideas. Which is good for me, especially since my character's voices are what drives the stories I tell.
With that said, I'm off to my lair to craft tales of wonder and amazement.
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