Q is for Qu'est-ce que? and Queerness

I really like the letter Q. I wish there were more words with it! I really do. It's just so much fun to write. Especially lower case cursive Q's. Yeah, I'm weird. I know. And that brings me to queerness! And I mean the literal dictionary version of it. AKA: WEIRD. Or odd. (Though I could write about queers, too.) I really like people watching. I do it as often as I can and hope that anyone watching me doesn't think that I'm an absolute creeper.

Already talked about people watching--kind of--but, it's just such a fun topic. I think it's one of those things (along with many others) that most writers do. How can we not? We expect the masses to read the ideas we create--so why not get inspired from the masses themselves, right?

What I like to do the most with people watching is eavesdrop. I have had a problem with eavesdropping since I was little. I just want to know everything that's going on with everyone in every place I go. Is that really so bad??  (Cue an innocent look.) What I think is the best out of eavesdropping is when you hear the targets--that's right. Targets. You're on a mission my friends!--saying a word that you've never heard of. Or one that you've never dreamed of using in that context.

It's one of the best ways to come up with some cool slang for those of us who are not so linguistically gifted. (No one ever said writers were the creators of words. And if they did, they most certainly forgot the L that's meant to go in that word. I mean world.) Next time you're out, do a little eavesdropping in the checkout line, or the que for the bank... or... waiting in the dentists office. Anywhere.

Now, have you ever been reading a story and suddenly you think to yourself--or even say it out loud--Qu'est-ce que??? Probably not like that--I doubt most of you guys think in French-- but I'm sure we've all done the translation: What???


I haven't had any moments like that recently with books--or critiquing, but I've definitely had them in the past. Let me just say that it was not a good feeling to have as a reader. Have any of you read/critted or even written something that made you or someone else go "WHAT???"