Ahh, I’m not back home yet, I’m at my dad’s in Alabama. But I’m still reeling from a fabulous conference at Moonlight & Magnolias in Atlanta, Georgia. Wow, what a great group of people. I chatted with editors, agents, and a whole bunch of writers. And most of them talked like me. It’s kind of nice to be in a place where my southern drawl doesn’t draw more attention. A few sayings I’d almost forgotten but am hearing…
* I’d done did it.
* Fine as frog‘s hair.
* People are offering to “carry me” places, and they aren‘t really planning on picking me up.
* Everyone is “fixin’” to do something, too.
None of these saying made me stop and think. They just made me feel at home.
I met so many great writers. Being with other writers is like going to a family reunion for the first time and meeting people who sort of look and act like you. I mean, I can be sitting around having a conversation with someone and suddenly pause and blurt out, “Oh my gosh, I just realized the perfect way that Frankie has to die.” And no one in the room is going call 911 or even think I’m the least bit scary.
Yes, this basically means that writers are weird. We can’t help it, it’s part of our DNA. We do an immense amount of people watching. So when authors stare at someone we aren’t being rude, we’re just doing our job, looking for characteristics to showcase in our books. If someone has a unique nervous tick, you can bet that nervous tick will show up in my book. If someone has a different facial expression, we steal it for our characters. And then there’s the eavesdropping writers are always known to do when we get in a crowd. Hey, some tiny piece of dialogue will spark our imaginations and bam, we get an entire plot. So I’ll admit I did some eavesdropping. Unfortunately, it was too apparent that I was in a hotel filled with other writers. Below are just bits and pieces of conversation I overheard:
“He’s not that old, only 150 years or so…”
“I really think you should have found another way to kill him. That was too easy.”
“He gave up sleeping in the casket about a hundred years ago…”
“He didn’t want to turn her, just feed off her a little…
“Then he borrowed his neighbor’s body so if he got shot up it wouldn’t leave scars…
“I don’t usually kill people. Wait I take that back. I did kill Jim, but everyone wanted him dead.”
“And after he was dead, I couldn’t decide what to do with the body. Because for things to work out, I needed him to be partly decomposed before they discovered him.”
“He’s killed a lot of people, but that was when the villain had control of his mind, so underneath it, he’s still a hero.”
“He’s stuck in dog’s body and in his human form he’s vegetarian. So he‘s starving to death.”
“And then he meets himself in the future and takes the ring back.”
“She found the dead guy in a Porta Potty wearing the hat that said, “Shit happens and then you die.”
Okay…that last piece of dialogue was my own. But seriously, can you imagine the few people staying at the hotel who weren’t writers and what they must have overheard?
So…what bits and pieces of dialogue have you guys overheard? Any great plot ideas happening in your neck of the woods? Any nervous ticks you care to share with me so I can add them to my characters?
Come on, share a little.
Crime Scene Christie
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Conference Aftershock
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7 comments:
My problem is I rarely have the means to write these things down when I hear them, and that means I won't remember. For instance, I do remember overhearing something at the mall a little over a week ago. I remember being amazed at what the person said so much so that I pointed it out to my kiddo. But I can't for the life of me remember WHAT was said. LOL!
I do remember a few weeks ago overhearing some women in my belly dance class talking about when they graduated HS. Two of them, women I'd assumed were much older than I based on appearance alone, turned out to be two and three years YOUNGER than I. My poor daughter spent the entire drive home reassuring me I do not look that old.
Sometimes, it's best to keep your ears to yourself.
I teach Alt. setting students, so I hear a lot of interesting tidbits. The problem is, I don't want to remember most of it. I can tell you it is funny when they forget I am in the room. Teenage boys are a different breed. My female students don't talk a lot until the boys are gone for the day.
One student was telling another about the day his dad found out his lady friend was seeing someone else. Apparently, he came home to no one answering the door, but the grill was still hot. He climbed up on a chair and was given a show through the window. The couple in the house claimed to be taking a nap. I replied that his life reminded me of a soap opera.
Terri,
Thanks, girl. You definitely have a point about some things we probably wish we didn't overhear. LOL.
Thanks for dropping by.
Crime Scene Christie
Hi, Red,
Yep. That sounds like a soap to me. Poor kid, though.
Thanks for sharing.
Crime Scene Christie
I hear enough interesting tidbits from my seven year old talking TO me. *G*
Brandy,
When Junior was that age, he said a lot of "interesting" things,too . . . especially at the wrong time. LOL.
Thanks for dropping by.
Crime Scene Christie
Hey Christie,
I remember when I had taken a little girl I was babysitting out for lunch. She just had to make a comment on the waitress having a mustache. I wonder if you remember this. Haha
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