I've read back a few pages of posts in this forum and can't seem to find anything similar, so thought I'd share a little technique I have for getting inspiration for plots, characters and the like.

I take the bus.

I used to take public transport in a zombie-like "my god let this journey be over with" kind of way, but when I started writing, I found myself actually opening my eyes and ears whilst travelling. It's quite astounding the sights and sounds a 40 minute bus journey can bring. Far more so than driving or walking (I've done plenty of both in the past).

For instance, the idea for 'Seedless Fruit' came from watching a chap trying to complete a crossword on the bus, he was becoming more agitated as the journey progressed, then took a call from his wife/lover/partner and got even more agitated. If you're attuned to the experience, and allow your brain to fill in the blanks, it's an endless source of inspiration and ideas.

It's a little like a phychologist's thematic appreciation test; you're given a snapshot and that part of you that likes to create; fills in the blanks.

Don't know if it's that original, but then I've never done any formal writing courses. I just know that on more than one occassion where I've been stuck for an idea, or grasping for a new character, a short bus journey has filled me with enough ideas to carry me through.

Of course, don't even get me started on the dead-poets-society-esque advantages to sitting on the top deck and seeing your home town from a new angle.

Not sure if that helps anyone, but this website is all about sharing what helps us in case it helps others, so all I can do is offer it as something that may or may not clear a writer's block.

--Dave

Yes, I gave up reading on trains when I became a writer. I can't read on buses anyway without feeling sick, but I did stop using a Walkman, and would never contemplate buying an iPod. My favourite eavesdrops are still waiting for me to write the story, so I'm not going to quote them here. Cafés are the other really good place for eavesdropping - for some reason the one in IKEA Croydon seems to be the best for material for me. Maybe the rage and exhaustion has a disinhibiting effect.

Emma

People watching from anywhere is great for forming characters and senarios. Just sitting at a pavement cafe watching things happening around you is good, in fact if you just open your eyes a bit more and start really noticing things, there is so much inspiration to be found.

Kat

I totally agree. The trams in Nottingham seem to be a source of inspiration for me at the moment. I've no idea why, but the ideas are everywhere on there. It's like all the angst everybody in the city is holding gets let loose. A fight broke out while I was on - it wasn't me! - and the tram conductor (?) said that they get more trouble during the day than they do at night.

Ste