Uber Stories: Nipples and Drugs

I didn't see the nipples, or the drugs...

But in my driver's seat I heard about them from the men and women sitting behind me in my Kia Forte. 

One of the incidents during my travels as an Uber driver was funny. The other was scary. More to come as I make sense of the two events. 

FYI... you can already imagine the nipples story is the funny one.

Talking To Yourself: Don't Stifle Your Inner Monologue

It's after 2 a.m. on a Saturday. Just spent 14 hours on the road for Uber and Lyft in the Dallas-Ft.Worth Metro area during an absolute deluge of rain. Had to work. Had to earn. I was not happy. Many of my thoughts were the kind many of us wouldn't admit to having. But... as a writer... we should not stifle any thoughts - even those polite company would consider bad. Even those that offend people in our lives.

Here is what I mean. To set the scene... Streets flooding. Visibility - even with windshield wipers at max - limited. But... I remained on the road out of sheer determination and anger.

Experience.... is one of the greatest resources for writers. Now... some of my thoughts during the last 14 hours...

Inner monologue:

"Every time I take a step forward, fate hits me with another obstacle that sends me two steps back!"

"Why keep trying! I can't win. God, help me... would death be better? I'm tired."

"No! Can't give up! I will fail tonight...but... I can't quit!"

"I miss my son. She won't let me see him. Calm down... Don't cry. Don't make a decision based only on emotions. Use your head! If she knows she made you cry, she wins!"

"I can't see the road. Keep driving. Keep working. Think of your son. He misses me."

"I'm sorry, dad. I wanted to come," my son texted me. "My hands are shaking. I'm sad. I'm angry. God! Help me!"

"I'm soaking wet. I'm tired. But... I have to keep going. I miss my son. I have to do whatever it takes to be heard, for him to be heard. I need to keep working. The poor don't have a voice."

"I need a lawyer! I need a drink!"

Today's Writing Prompt: Just Start

Sitting in my car not too far from my apartment. It's a quiet moment in between rides.

I pulled out one of my writing books and placed my clipboard and notebook on my lap.

I began to jot down two prompts. I also jotted down a few observations:

"It's overcast today, but still the temperature hovers around 90. A squirrel searches the grass near a tree. It steps. Pauses. Digs its nose in the grass. It lifts its head into the air - eyes scanning. A step. Anothe pause. A step. Head swiveling left and right. Pause. Nose in the grass again. A low-flying small prop plane buzzes overhead. The squirrel plants its four paws into the ground, lifts its head and freezes.
Will it bolt? I wonder. No. Once the plane passes, the squirrel goes back to foraging.
I sit in my car, foraging for rides. It's been 10 minutes. Maybe time to move just as the squirrel has abandoned the spot of grass next to the tree and has moved onto the landscaped flower beds nearby."

And so it goes everyday. Here's today's writing prompt. Over the next 10 hours as I drive all over the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, I will lean on the prompt to kick start my writing. Try it yourself. Just start writing. Start with whatever you have.

"Start with whatever you have: a scene, a snatch of dialogue, a character's mannerism. You can fill in and sort it out later."

As A Writer You Must Be Free To Think

I'm working on a social satire. So... I'm studying a lot of writers: Twain, Swift, Adams (as in Douglas Adams), and Orwell, of course.

I'm filtering my work through the eyes of a protagonist who sees a myriad of characters who call a modern metropolitan American city home. 

Here's a quote from Orwell that confronts my protagonist. 

"You are free to be a drunkard, an idler, a coward, a backbiter, a fornicator; but you are not free to think for yourself."

The great thing about literature is that the writer may bring his or her meaning to what is written, but readers complete the thought and contribute their reality to bring it to life.

What does that quote mean to you?

Uber Observations: I Saw A Truck Dog Tracking or Crabbing... Huh?

I'm 48 years old. I've driven across the country several times. I drive for Uber and Lyft. But... today was the first time I ever saw a truck dog tracking down the highway, or as it is also known, crabbing down the highway.

Have you ever seen a vehicle dog tracking, or crabbing, down the road?

Let's set the scene:

I picked up a couple from DFW Airport this afternoon. We were on the way to Uptown Dallas. It was on I-35 when I noticed the crabbing pick-up truck in my rear-view mirror. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me.

I slowed and moved one lane to the right, allowing the truck to pass me. I watched it go past my Kia, realizing that my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. It was going "sideways."

I drove silently for a handful of seconds. I broke my silence.

"Is that truck going sideways, or are my eyes playing tricks on me?" I asked the couple in the back seat.

They looked up and their reactions confirmed it.

"I've never seen that before," the man said.

"Oh, my gosh!" the woman said.

"That truck needs some serious re-alignment," he said.

And... that is exactly what that pick-up truck needed.

When I got home, I started googling: "What makes a truck go sideways". And I found a lot on the matter. According to what I read, this dog tracking, or crabbing, is caused by a misalignment of the rear wheels of a vehicle.

I would never have known such a thing existed unless I had seen it with my own eyes. Now... I may have to create a character in one of my stories whose vehicle dog tracks. Write what you know... Now I know about dog tracking, crabbing cars.

All you aspiring writers out there. Pay attention to what happens around you. Interesting details are out there. You never know what you may encounter which could enrich your knowledge as a writer and ultimately, your writing. Keep a notebook and pen handy. I had mine and jotted down all I saw.

NOTE: I was writing in my notebook while driving for a few seconds... but I did it while keeping my eyes on the road. I scribbled on the page without looking at my notebook just to get the initial thought down.... It was messy looking at it later, but... better to stay safe. Don't take your eyes off the road. Once I dropped off my passengers, I pulled off to the side of the road and took a moment to write down all of my observations.

Here are a couple of links to give you more about dog walking/crabbing. One is a YouTube video someone else shot of a vehicle crabbing. The other is an article that ran in The Globe And Mail.