People are stories

Monday was a travel day for me. In some respects, it was quite unusual, beginning with an earthquake in Los Angeles, ending with an ice storm in Chapel Hill. In one other way, however, it was utterly typical: I was surrounded by people every step along the way. And almost every time I travel by plane — meaning the shuttle from the car rental place, standing in line at the airport, the airplane, baggage claim, the shuttle to the car parking site — I am reminded of this fact: People are stories.

Yesterday I heard stories about lost airplane tickets, a family reunion, an illicit affair, getting fired from a job, the birth of a baby, the death of a family dog and the impact on the owners, a chaotic trip to Japan. And those are just the ones I can dredge up from my memories, plenty more I heard in passing.

As writers, we search for stories… or at least should be doing so. I plead with my college students, “Please, when you are out in public, at least once a day, turn off all your social media, and pay attention to the people around you. Every single person who passes your way could be the story you were meant to write, the story that could become the basis of a script or novel that could change your life.”

So the next time you’re traveling… or standing in line at the grocery store… riding the bus or subway… attending a concert or sporting event… going for a walk in the park… anything that causes you to intersect with people, instead of seeking refuge in iTunes or flipping through tweets on your cellphone…

Stop. Look. Listen.

Because people are stories.

[P.S.: They are also dialogue.]

Comment Archive