(Reposted from http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2072971/ with permission)

There are many ways to avoid writers block. But one way to always find something worth writing about is simply open your eyes and ears.

Today I walked into the end of a class and watched a professor speak. He had the softest, almost shyest voice despite being relatively tall. Instantly, this description came to mind:

"He spoke as though a single firm word might wake a nest of hornets in the corner."

That's a very interesting character trait for a public speaker.

In my class, I listened to a girl repeat a story. She was very mad at her roommate, so she took their "2 foot tall, $200 bong" into her room, threw her laundry basket out of the way and shattered one of the mirrors in her room. She sat down in her "9-foot deep closet" and said her roommate came into the room, looked around, and said, "Don't break my bong," then left. She was so mad she punched a hole in the wall.

This is interesting to me. Not the specific details of the damage or the bong, but also the guy's reaction. He hears a crash, he comes upstairs, and says "Do not damage my property". Clearly they were in a fight, but it's also an interesting bit of character/dialogue to drop into a story.

Look at the people you pass on the street. That sit in the restaurant you are in. Listen to their voice. Their habits. Write those things down. This will give you a store of things to drop onto minor characters to help them stand out in your story. There are gems of genius you pass by every day. Slow down, sift about, and collect them for later.