Capturing a Details

Because I want my scenes to be more detail rich, I'm trying to stop on occasion and take in what's around me. (I probably should have already been doing this for my mental health, but what can I say?)

Hardware Store

Today I was waiting to pick up some paint and looked around the hardware store. It was amazing — how could I have missed all this?

It's a tiny hardware store, the type you used to go to before the Home Depots and Lowes. The employees are friendly and know your name, and there's a popcorn machine next to the checkout counter where you can always get a free bag. Not to mention it makes the place smell great!

Piano Player

Today was the day the little old lady comes in and play piano for three hours. Don't ask me what this has to do with hardware, but the lady was pounding out the tunes. She has a bit of the palsy, so the songs have an interesting rhythm, but that just adds to overall effect.

There were people there buying shovels and picking up cement that I went to school with, all while the lady played You are My Sunshine, swaying back and forth. There was a tip jar by the piano and I noticed she'd only gotten a couple bucks, so I threw another one in.

Over the piano I saw these old pictures of the town — the first tree cut, the old mill, and some guys standing on an enormous tree, which I believe they cut down with a hand saw. People were obviously made of stronger stuff back then.

Pictures and Popcorn

The pictures were hard to make out, not because they were old, but because someone had put their kid's football trophy up there.

There was a new bench sent out by the counter. It says it was made with lumber donated by the store and it's going to be auctioned off for the senior surprise this June. It also has the dates you're supposed to show up and bid.

This stopping and looking is pretty cool. I did it all while eating popcorn. I'm going to have to do it more often.

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Small Things Make for Big Stories

I was listening yesterday to an interview with Louis and Mary Leakey's granddaughter, Louise. She talked about how one goes about discovering fossils in Africa. It's pretty simple — you walk very slowly and look at the ground.

She also said that it's hard for those of us who look at computer screens to transition to fossil finding. In fact, it takes quite a while to learn how to look for little things in the dirt.

We used to have the skills when we were small. Little kids are fascinated with things in the dirt — partly because they are close to the ground and it's all right there. But we lose the fascination and the skills as we get older, taller, and purchase computers.

Don't miss the cool stuff

This got me to thinking. How many cool things am I missing as I walk past them? Probably quite a few. So, this February I'm going to try to get my "dirt looking" skills back. I'm going to notice things that are at my feet — kneeling down and checking the dirt out when I think of it and putting the iPhone away when I don't really need it.

Why? Because it's small details that make up great stories and there is a lot going on at foot level — flaking paint on a porch step, the crunch of the crushed rock under your feet, leaves decaying on a sidewalk and leaving a perfect imprint, or the rocks that work their way up to the surface on muddy days.

But besides adding more texture and color to my stories, I think noticing them will add more texture and color to my life.

Thank you Louise Leakey!

When You World Gets Wild . . . Take Notes

In the last 72 hours I have:

• had our house broken into

• attended a funeral

• had two offers on our house

• thrown a Halloween party

• judged a writing contest

Sometimes life throws a lot of stuff your way — stuff that takes a lot of emotional energy. It's hard to sit down and write when things feel like they're moving so fast you can't keep up.

Take Notes

I've listened to countless writers tell me, "I can't write right now because of all the things going on in my life." Not true.

OK, maybe it's hard to stay focused on a story when your overwhelmed, but you can still take notes. In fact, this is the best time, because these moments — loaded with emotion and drama — will make great scenes. (Not to mention, jotting them down will help you vent a little.)

Here are just a few of many I gathered over the last 72 hours:

Note #1 - Sheriff's interviews can be calming in a crisis.

Note #2 - Sheriff's are people too. Ours forgot to write down the items stolen, then had to get the info again back at his truck.

Note #2 - Criminals aren't all smart. In fact, some of disturbingly stupid.

Note #3 - Eulogies impart not only information unknown to the audience about the deceased, but impart a great deal about the person giving the eulogy too.

Note #4 - It's humbling to find out your costume ripped out in the back and you've unknowingly mooned your friends all night.

Note #5 - My husband and I can have a romantic moment picking out battery-activated alarm systems at Home Depot after a stressful day.

These were a few of many moments I wanted to remember. I added a few more details. In fact, a lot of my notes are the simple details within the scenes — the boarded door of our new house, the trays of spaghetti at the funeral, the crestfallen faces of the home buyers when we said we'd already gotten another offer.

Bringing Your Life to Your Writing

I say capture it, use it. You may not be able to write your story now, but you will soon. And this is the stuff stories are made of.