The World Through a Writer's Lens

Today is my turn to post for the Teens Can Write, Too! July blog chain.  This month's question is: 

"How has writing affected your perception of the world?"

Writing has changed how I look at many things, but in subtle ways.  I listen to how people talk more than I used to.  Sometimes I look at strangers and see the faces of potential characters.  Or maybe they're wearing something I think a character would wear.  Or maybe they're just being normal and I wonder what their story is.  I didn't used to do that. 

Writing has also changed how I listen to music, watch movies, and read books.  For example, when I heard Carrie Underwood's new song Blown Away, I had two reactions: Eew, and Ooh.... The song is about a girl of undisclosed age who lets her father die in a tornado.  It's never said directly, but I got the impression that the father had killed the mother years before.  Eew, creepy, twisted, blugh. However, I have a character who can relate, Viola Wood, and I got a writing buzz. Viola's circumstances are way more complicated, but she can relate to wanting her father dead.  Her reaction to that song got me to like it.  Enough to listen to it multiple times in a row.  Had I not been a writer (or at least without a character like Viola), I would have just had the Eew reaction and never listened to the song again.  I had a similar experience with Rascal Flatts's song Here Comes Goodbye, only what happened with that one was I set the emotion and some of the lines to a scene right before a battle.  That made it worth listening to. Otherwise it's just another sad breakup song.  

Writing has somewhat changed how I look at odd happenings. Like the time my mom found a random windshield wiper set on our car.  It wasn't one of ours, someone had just put it there.  When she told me about it, I thought "What if it was a magic windshield wiper?"  I'm not sure what a magic windshield wiper would do, but it has potential.  Odd things like that, and even some ordinary things, now trigger ideas.

That's all for me folks.  Be sure to check out the rest of the blog chain! 

July 7–http://miriamjoywrites.wordpress.com–Miriam Joy Writes

July 8–http://musingsfromnevillesnavel.wordpress.com–Musings From Neville’s Navel

July 9–http://insideliamsbrain.wordpress.com–This Page Intentionally Left Blank

July 10–http://maybeteenauthor.blogspot.com–Blog of a (Maybe) Teen Author

July 11–http://scribblingbeyondthemargins.wordpress.com–Scribbling Beyond the Margins

July 12–http://lilyjenness.blogspot.com–Lily’s Notes In The Margins

July 13–http://correctingpenswelcome.wordpress.com–Comfy Sweaters, Writing and Fish

July 14–http://laughablog.wordpress.com–The Zebra Clan

July 15–http://realityisimaginary.blogspot.com–Reality Is Imaginary

July 16–http://a-myriad-of-colors.blogspot.com–A Myriad of Colors

July 17–http://anmksmeanderingmind.wordpress.com–An MK’s Meandering Mind

July 18–http://incessantdroningofaboredwriter.wordpress.com–The Incessant Droning of a Bored Writer

July 19–http://allegradavis.wordpress.com–All I Need Is A Keyboard

July 20–http://teenscanwritetoo.wordpress.com--Teens Can Write Too! (We will be announcing the topic for next month’s chain)