To doodle on page is to observe and translate human quirks and mannerisms into vivid narrative sketches. These nuances are the lifeblood that breathes authenticity into characters. Without them, our memoir risks being a mere recitation of facts, unreal and inaccessible. We want to bring people to life on the page, so we inscribe their delicate details—the flicker of an eye, the lilt of a voice, the habit of a hand brushing back hair —in the pages of our memoir.
Writing Doodle on Page
Capturing people’s characteristics on the memoir page is akin to doodling. Observation, patience, and artistry strive to produce a doodle with careful attention to detail. When recalling a loved one or even a brief acquaintance, what can we put on the page about them? What stands out is probably the way they pause between sentences as if searching for a better word. Or their habit of tapping all fingers on the table when lost in thought. These fleeting moments can encapsulate personalities.
Our doodle on page is a mindful re-creation of, for example, not just what people say, but how they say it. Consider this grandmother: “As she recounts a story in her native language, her hands dance through the air as if she’s conducting an unseen orchestra.” This doodle on page shows you that grandma is expressive and deeply connected to her tale, as her gestures emphatically shows.
Why a Doodle on Page?
We know that people are more than just their grand narratives; we are a constellation of habits and quirks that truly define us. By paying close attention to these characteristic details, we allow the individuals to leap off the page and capture readers’ attention. We remember persons not just by their accomplishments, but by the doodles that define their difference. They become memorable in text as in life because these quirks, these seemingly insignificant details, leave a lasting impression.
Consider the basics: their usual posture, the way they unconsciously furrow their eyebrows when anxious, their habit of scratching their neck when telling a lie, the way they instinctively pair thumb and forefinger with their spoon while eating. These may seem like mere surface-level observations, but they are actually entry points into nuanced characterization, enriching the memoir’s emotional and visual tone.
Thinking Hard About the Doodle on Page
Yet it’s not enough to merely scatter a few mannerisms into our memoir as if they were seasoning. Each doodle on the page should serve a purpose: to illustrate a point, foreshadow an event, or highlight a significant contrast.
For example, if we’re writing about a close friend who was always bold in public but hesitant in private, a recurring detail – their constant finger-drumming during serious conversations – will speak volumes about their internal tension.
A person’s language patterns offer another rich source of “doodles on the page.” There are ways of speaking, manners of speech, and conversational habits that go beyond mere dialogue. Utterances are not simply the product of speech; they reveal much about the speaker’s inner world.
How to Write your Observations
So we need to train our observational muscles, to turn everyday encounters into moments of study. As we sit in a café and people-watch, or replay conversations with friends, we take note of what stands out. Did someone smile only with their eyes? Did their voice rise when they were trying to be persuasive? While recounting a past dialogue, let’s remember not just the words but the setting: who sat where, what they wore, how their gestures matched or contradicted their statements. We absorb these elements as doodle on our pages to enrich the memoir.
Cut and Clutter in Doodle on Page
There’s a fine line between richly detailed and overly cluttered description. A memoir shouldn’t become so weighed down with details that it stifles the pace of the story. Instead, we need to select key interactions or turning points and focus on the details that truly matter.
A well-placed description – someone biting their lip nervously during a crucial conversation, for example – can add tension and depth without overwhelming the narrative. By zeroing in on the small details that define a person – an eyebrow raised in question, the habitual rolling of sleeves before hard work – we are inviting our readers to sit in the room and watch the scene unfold. Weaving these minutiae into our narratives – a smirk, a stutter, a laugh that comes too quickly – allows us to paint multi-dimensional portraits of real people, not just characters on a page.