The Curious Writer

Here are the things I've been curious about today.

Every morning I pass an armoured truck unloading money into an ATM. What would it be like to cart boxes of money? Would it be fun? Would you be constantly alert, looking for a robbery? Do robbery attempts happen often, and what would you do? Would it be tempting to take some of the money? What do they do to prevent you?

A cop in Toronto just stepped down from his job in the child-porn unit. He says he can't stand the nightmares anymore. (story here.) What would it be like to do that job? What kind of sould-searching would it take to step down? What caused the final decision-making moment? What was that moment like? Where was he when it happened, and what was he doing?

There used to be a woman on my morning commuter train who wore elaborate, completely-coordinated dresses and hats. I don't see her anymore. Where did she go? Did she move? Change jobs? Get fired?

What would it be like if your sense of smell was permanently hightened? What would you do? The smallest smell would drive you crazy. What could you smell that other people can't? Would it be an advantage or a disadvantage? You'd be a freak... but what if you could smell things, like drugs, the way that dogs do? Would you be a millionaire?

And on.. and on. I think that's what most writers are like, most of the time. Like little kids in their "Why?" period. We never quite grow out of that "Why?" period, do we? I know I never did!