Since I've started working out at the gym, I've apparently become hotter, and that has lead to more brazen behavior from guys on the street. As a result, this week I've heard some of the worst pick-up lines ever. "Is your name July? Because you are hot!" and "Got any black in you?" to which I replied, "Not that I know of, but you never know," rendering him mute in his response. Another guy came up to me in the Metro and asked me if he thought his shirt looked okay or if he should turn it inside out. Then he told me he was a bouncer at a prestigious club. Then he asked me about some cross-streets I'd never heard of. I wasn't actually sure if he was trying to pick me up or if he was just gay until he walked off mumbling about what a dork he was.
All this has made me think about dialogue and what it says about a character beyond what it literally says about a character. The difference between the guy who uses the July line and the guy who fumbles a crappy question about his T-shirt is a level of cockiness. The guy with the July line made me laugh. The guy with the T-shirt line made me uncomfortable, but I wouldn't go out with either one of them. But if I had to choose? The muscular guy with the British accent who was obviously around hot girls all the time but still couldn't muster a good pickup line is far more interesting than the stereotypical sleaze on the street. At least, as characters go. I might have to use him in a story.
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Yeah, a guy who is not only inshape but has British accent should, well, be like James Bond. And if his confidence level is counter-intutive, he is definitely fodder for a character.
ReplyDeleteThat's the best thing about getting out into the world and meeting people-the best characters, stories, and dialogue are already out there.