POSTCARDS FROM THE MUSE

The People

By Nandy Ekle

So, who are the people we write about? We have to have a main character, usually this is our hero. And we have to have a villain, the one who thwarts our hero (or vice-versa) in everything he/she wants. Most stories need secondary characters on both sides, because in real life no one is alone all the time. 

So we’ve defined their roles. But who are they? This is where your love of people watching comes into play.

This past summer I went to a city I had never been before, and I was able to sit at a table and just watch. This place is a place known for all kinds of people and situations. And it was an absolute feast to watch. I saw hundreds of tourists walking up and down the street. I saw performers on street stages, on street corners, and on every square of sidewalk there was. I saw people with hunger in their eyes, wanting the big win; people with desperation in their faces, realizing they were trapped in a life they didn’t like; and people like me, just taking it all in. 

And I know each and every person I saw, whether in sparkly lacy feathery fine-ness with tails and bow-ties, all the way down to the group of people dressed in dirty rags as they vomited into the trash cans; they all had a story. They all had a reason for being there. And they all had a purpose they were looking for. 

And next week we’ll discuss some of these purposes.