085 - How Much We Stood Out

Today I noticed that during a vacation in a remote West Texas town, my family and I were immediately spotted as outsiders by the locals when we went shopping in a small general store. We’re fairly normal-looking, so I figured we’d blend in. We did not. The locals were picking up on a million subtle cues and behaviors that we didn’t see, signaling our clear “otherness.”

The creative lesson I took from this Noticing is the significance of subtlety in the fabric of a community. In writing, we can use tiny details and nuances to show how well or poorly a character fits or misfits a setting. This can be a great tool for exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the nuances of social dynamics in different communities.

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