Intelligent Story Telling: The Importance of Dumb Conversation.

One thing I hear from several other creators is that they hate small talk. Why discuss recent events when you can have long arching arguments of philosophy? To be fair, I have been known to enjoy both, but the reason of this writing is to endorse dumb or surface level discussion and reflection. Humans naturally discuss things at a surface level. The norm is to be privative and reserve deep conversation until we are already intimate with the other member of the discussion. There's a whole discussion on psychology and philosophy in that, but that's for another moment.

If one does not participate in small surface level discussions then one cannot accurately describe the way humans talk or act. As a creator, this is incredibly important as your characters will be entirely unrelatable without it. Creating characters that exist solely in a realm of esoteric reflection, while entertaining for a single art piece, does not make for good literature or genre work.

One also misses out on opportunities for creative inspiration when foregoing small talk. A good chunk of my own work comes from moments where I'm having a surface level discussion about a sporting event, comic, or any sort of culture and it makes a connection with a thought I had earlier today in the shower. The combination of ideas blends to create a prompt that I need to write and get out of my system.

That all being said, if you were to sit down with me at a BDubs and ask about my thoughts on compression versus decompression storytelling, or first person versus third person narration in comics or genre work I'll talk with you until dead Cthulu rises from his dreams in R'lyeh. But  just don't be snooty about small talk. - Cheers.

Regarding The Fact That I Hate Talking

          One thing thatI have noticed about myself, and I sincerely hope others will empathize with me on this one, is that I am the most awkward person I know when it comes to conversing. I can handle myself in groups of three or more, but that is only because I can bounce off of others, and interject whenever I have a joke, then remain quiet the rest of the time. One on one is where it gets weird. It probably has to do with anxiety, and my ADD, but I have no idea what to say most of the time. My go to phrase is, "that's dope, man", and that makes up about 70% of what I say on a daily basis. Other than that I mostly ramble on about unimportant subjects, and, afterwards, feel guilty about not shutting up. I find it much easier to put my thoughts to writing, but unfortunately this is not the 1800's, and I can not like myself away as a monk, and commune with the world only in letters.
          That being said, I do have a solid group of close friends that I can interact fairly normally with. I still prefer to listen though. Others peoples lives, and stories are fascinating. Taking time to listen to people connects us to them. In a sense it makes them more real. Their experience, emotions, and all the immaterial matter in them becomes tangible in their words. A lot of my creative work is inspired by others stories. I would encourage you to take time to listen to others, and just ask people about their day, and how they feel on a regular basis. Most people are fine with talking about themselves, and will actually appreciate a good listener. Connect yourself with others, and try to avoid saying "dope" on repeat, as I do.