I ain’t been droppin’ no eaves sir…
But I have. I’m nosy. I love gossip. My favourite place to eavesdrop is on the bus or in a restaurant – although the latter is a tad more challenging as I’m often distracted by food, wine and whoever I’m supposed to be having dinner with.
But yes, earwigging on other people’s conversations is a great way to get ideas for storylines, character and voice. I especially like listening to our respected elders on the bus, firstly because they always seem to be very well-connected; they always have the best gossip about who’s having an affair with who, whose kids are a mess (and why) or who’s died this week, and, secondly, because they talk loud enough for me to hear them. I don’t think their raised voices have anything to do with hearing, or any lack of it, I think they’ve genuinely just reached an age where they don’t give a shit about what people think. I love it when they get that small glimmer in their eyes that completely undermines the supposed seriousness of their conversation – it’s the delight of gossip, of rumour, of a secret betrayed. They love it too – and the stories they have! Gold dust.
Below are some amusing pictures of grannies I found on the interweb. These are mostly for laughs but also provide inspiration for my future self:
As a quick aside – while we’re on ears – music, too, is a goodun’. Maybe not so much for inspiration, more as an aide for mood and mindset. For example, I find I can’t really write a nice poem whilst listening to the lead singer of Bullet For My Valentine choking on his own throat. For a nice poem I’d listen to Ben Howard. I love him. For a steamy sex scene I’d maybe choose “Change” by the Deftones – it’s used in the film Queen of the Damned in a scene where the sexy vampire queen Akasha, played by Aaliyah, goes down on beautiful vampire Lestat, the delectable Stuart Townsend, in a bath full of blood and petals…whatever floats your boat really…
I think that’s it for earwigging and music……inspiring plots, characters, voice, tone and mood!
