A quiet bench in a city park showed me how to build a character's backstory

I sat on a bench in Central Park last month and watched an old man feed pigeons every morning at the same time. It made me realize how small, daily routines can tell you everything about a person without any dialogue. I started jotting down notes for a story based on his worn coat and careful movements. Do you ever use people-watching from trips to shape your characters?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_grant2mo ago

Honestly I used to think you needed these big dramatic events for a backstory, but noticing those little habits (like how someone folds a newspaper) really does give you better stuff to work with.

kevin_harris782mo ago

Focus on the quirks, they're gold for backstories.

riveradams2mo ago

Big events shape backstories way more.